Objectivity

Evaluating the point of view of an article can be challenging. Your goal is to figure out of the author is presenting a neutral point of view or if the author is only showing you one side of the story. Imagine that you're looking for information about the health effects of red meat. You find an article written by the president of the Red Meat Farmers Association explaining that red meat is exceptionally healthy and cures all kinds of ailments. Chances are the article isn't very objective. The author is probably only telling you one side of the story. This bias doesn't necessary mean the article is worthless, but it is something you must consider when gathering your sources.

Some questions that will help you evaluate the objectivity of an article are:

Is the author trying to persuade the reader or sell a product?
Is a person or organization affiliated with the story likely to sway the point of view?
Is the author's intent to inform the reader? Does the article cover all necessary aspects of the topic?
What word choices did the author make? Sometimes the use of I, me, my can be indicators of bias.