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Fact or opinion

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    Is it a fact
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    or is it an opinion?
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    Does it matter?
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    Yes.
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    Both are important.
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    But knowing how to distinguish
    between fact and opinion
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    can help us to better understand
    what we read and hear,
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    and how we form our own opinions.
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    Let's take a look.
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    A fact is a statement
    that can be proven to be true.
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    Facts are objetive,
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    which means they are not influenced
    by what someone thinks or believes.
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    A fact is indisputable
    and cannot be changed.
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    Here are some key questions
    to identify facts.
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    1. Can it be measured or confirmed
    with calculations or data?
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    For example, two plus two equals four.
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    We can add the numbers
    and demostrate that this stament is true.
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    2. Can it be observed?
    Can we see it happen?
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    For instance, 99% of people
    cannot lick ther elbow.
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    This is true.
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    This is a fact that can be observed.
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    Research has determined
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    that only one out of 100 people
    can successfully complete this task.
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    3. Can it be verified by primary sources,
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    such as research, photographs,
    newspapers and artifacts?
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    Here is an example.
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    Nintendo was started in 1889.
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    This is a fact, because it could
    be verified with many sources.
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    A man named Fusajiro Yamauchi from Japan
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    founded Nintendo
    as a playing card company in 1889,
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    and now it is one of the largest
    gaming companies in the world.
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    Now let's move on to opinion,
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    which can sometimes be a little trickier.
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    An opinion is a statement
    of belief or judgement.
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    Opinions express
    what someone thinks or feels.
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    An opinion can change.
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    Let's look at some examples.
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    Ice cream is delicious.
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    Many people believe this,
    but some people don't.
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    It is a judgement,
    and therefore an opinion.
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    When we evaluate something or somebody
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    we often use adjectives such as
    important, beautiful, fun or difficult.
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    An adjective that allows us
    to judge something
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    is a clue that a statement is an opinion.
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    Another signal word for opinions
    is the word "should".
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    Here is an example.
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    Everyone should learn
    more than one language.
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    While there may be many good reasons
    to learn more than one language,
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    not everyone would agree
    about the personal value of doing so.
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    Political views are opinions.
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    Different people will have different ideas
    about what society's problems are
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    and how to best address them.
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    Since opinion can´t
    be proven or disproven,
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    there is no right or wrong answer:
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    just different viewpoints.
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    While opinions may be supported
    by facts and evidence,
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    the issue we care about
    may still be up for debate.
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    For example, I could say
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    that going to school year round
    is better for students.
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    Now there are reasons
    to support this viewpoint,
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    some might argue
    that a shorter vacation period
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    would prevent students
    from forgetting what they learnt,
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    or say that students often
    get bored over the summer,
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    or that other countries around the world
    use a year-round system.
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    However, we cannot prove
    that the statement is true.
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    There are many reasons to think
    that a 10 month calendar is better.
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    You could argue that students
    need an extended break
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    and they should be allowed to participate
    in camps or other summer activities,
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    or that a lack of air conditioning
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    means they shouldn't be inside
    a school building in the summer.
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    If we look back at the statement,
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    we can also identify
    another signal word for opinion:
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    the word "better".
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    When we're comparing different things
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    or we see words like "greatest",
    "best" or "better",
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    it can suggest we are looking
    at an opinion statement.
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    Another type of opinion is a prediction.
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    Often predictions are based
    on experience, knowledge or research,
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    but because they are based on the future,
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    we can't actually verify them today.
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    Let's look at an example.
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    Driverless cars will represent
    10% of all cars on the road by 2026.
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    That sounds both amazing and scary.
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    Although many auto manufacturers are
    developing self-driving car technology,
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    we have no way of verifying
    the statement today.
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    So, it is an opinion.
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    One thing to remember is that just
    because we believe something to be true,
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    that doesn't make it a fact.
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    Let's recap what we learnt.
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    A fact is a statement
    that can be proven to be true.
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    Can it be measured,
    or confirmed with data?
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    Can it be observed?
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    Can we verify its truth
    with other sources?
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    Does it stay the same?
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    If we answer "yes"
    to one of these questions,
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    then it means it is a fact.
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    An opinion is a statement
    of belief or judgement
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    that cannot be proven true.
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    Does it evalute someone or something?
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    Can we debate it?
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    Does it make a prediction?
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    Can it change?
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    If you answer "yes"
    to these questions,
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    it is an opinion.
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    Knowing how to separate
    between fact and opinion
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    helps us to understand information
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    and shape our own beliefs about the world.
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    Try it and see if you can
    use these questions
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    to tell the difference in your own life.
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    Subtitles by Carol Wang
    Review by Ilona vd Tang
Title:
Fact or opinion
Description:

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Video Language:
English
Team:
Amplifying Voices
Project:
CIVIX
Duration:
04:54
Fran Ontanaya edited English subtitles for Fact or opinion
Thais Barros edited English subtitles for Fact or opinion
Ilona edited English subtitles for Fact or opinion
Carol Wang edited English subtitles for Fact or opinion
Carol Wang edited English subtitles for Fact or opinion
Carol Wang edited English subtitles for Fact or opinion
Carol Wang edited English subtitles for Fact or opinion
CarinaMariani edited English subtitles for Fact or opinion
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