Re: MD Understanding Quality And Power

From: Platt Holden (pholden@sc.rr.com)
Date: Tue Jan 18 2005 - 20:16:39 GMT

  • Next message: Matt Kundert: "Re: MD Them pesky pragmatists"

    Hi MSH,

    > On 17 Jan 2005 at 10:15, Platt Holden wrote:
    >
    > Thanks for making my point--the NY Times is not to be trusted as a
    > credible source.
    >
    > msh says:
    > Ah, but whether or not the Times (or CBS) can be trusted is not the
    > issue. One can find some accurate reporting in just about any
    > publication. What needs clarification is how one goes about
    > determining when a report has high quality. This is where a wide
    > variety of outside source verification is crucial. This in turn is
    > why Platt's example of Goldberg's books is unconvincing. These books offer
    > nothing to corroborate the author's opinions: no notes, no internal memos,
    > no references, nothing even approximating legitimate research. There is no
    > way to verify that his opinions are anything more than a vague web of
    > anecdotes, hearsay, and unsupported generalizations stemming from some
    > personal ax-grinding.

    I guess this puts Zen and LIla out of bounds as nowhere do I find in them
    notes, internal memos, references, or anything even approximating
    legitimate research. Likewise your supposed evidence of non-liberal bias
    in the major media due to their need to make a profits amounts to little
    more than fanciful speculation, like your notion of how the NY Times would
    report a proposed tax on BMW's to fund a public transit system. Further,
    when I cite individuals who are part of the system admitting there's a
    bias, you do not respond with any eye-witness evidence to the contrary,
    but simply, again without evidence and in the usual liberal ad hominem
    mode, assert their motives are suspect.

    I suppose this way of presenting an argument meets Ian's standard of
    "truth through conversation," but hardly meets your own standard of a wide
    variety of outside source verification.

    But, not to worry. I enjoy your fanciful speculations as much as the next
    guy. If you start with the premise that profit-making is evil, all sorts
    of entertaining Twilight Zone scenarios will emerge.

    All thoughtful feedback will be cherished, as usual.
    Platt

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