Fact and/or Opinion

[Marie Sabatino]

1. The deepest part of the ocean is 35,813 feet.

Fact. This is not giving a personal perspective but seems to be providing information that is known to be true in the present time.

2. Smoking is bad for your health.

Mostly Fact and Some Opinion. Enough research and evidence has confirmed this. Then again, the term "bad" could be construed as an opinion, too. Maybe sharing more statistical information would make this "fact" more relevant, such as smoking kills x number of people per year, or is the leading cause of lung cancer.

3. 85% of all cases of lung cancer in the US are caused by smoking.

Fact. This is a statistic providing data on an epidemic.

4. One out of every hundred American Citizens is color blind.

Fact. This is a statistic providing data on a characteristic.

5. Two out of ten American citizens are boring.

Opinion. The term "boring" is subjective.

[Carlene]

Hi Marie. The issue with fact vs opinion is that we can find data to prove or disprove almost anything we read these days. With the internet providing data at our fingertips this can be proven over and over again. So, while on the face of issues they can appear to be facts because they are phrased in a manner that looks to be true or in quantifiable terms, they may, in fact, be opinions. We must all, as leaders, be careful when we use data and "facts" in proving our points, guiding our staff and stating our points.