Re: just the facts

Posted by Arlo Barnes on Apr 05, 2013; 7:32pm
URL: http://friam.383.s1.nabble.com/just-the-facts-tp7582525p7582539.html

I don't think Democracy! Now purports to be 'just the facts' - while of course they wouldn't say they distort the truth, mostly they are devoted to news and interviews about left-leaning topics, or civil/humanitarian rights in general. Fox News, on the other hand, is equally focussed on conservative viewpoints, and occasionally makes stuff up. CNN is going for whatever draws viewers (controversy) without angering them (any perception of sidedness, even where it is an inapplicable concept).
Ultimately it is up to the viewer to attempt to perceive, intuit, and presume biases and to gestalt multiple sources to try to construct an accurate view of the world. So if one wants 'just the facts', they will have to go where facts are generated - firsthand sources and data. For example, in the so-called 'Climategate' issue, why not find a general journal you have access to, and sample papers that have been published about climate change - do most of them have data showing causes as being anthropogenic, or not? And because papers cite other papers, you can see what responses have been to any given study. This is a lot of work if done properly and does not guarantee you a fairer worldview but it certainly helps.

-Arlo James Barnes

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