Click on the link below for an important podcast presenting a global down-to-a-local perspective on foreign affairs. Yes, it begins analyzing the Middle East problems but then expands into virtually all the main international issues affecting humanity:
Human knowledge has progressed exponentially since the dawn of modern science. It is no longer reasonable to accept claims without sufficient objective evidence. The harm from religion, alternatives to medicine, conservatism, and all other false beliefs will be exposed on this blog by reporting the findings of science. This blog will also reinforce what should be the basics of education: History, Civics, Financial Literacy, Media Literacy, and Critical/Science Based Thinking.
Showing posts with label Journalism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Journalism. Show all posts
Thursday, November 16, 2023
A Deep and Wide Look At Foreign Affairs By A True Expert
"Fareed Zakaria is the host of CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS and a foreign affairs columnist at the Washington Post. He joins Preet to discuss the regional and global dynamics of the Israel-Hamas War, the appropriate role for the United States in the Middle East, the state of play in Ukraine, and the politics of the Southern border."
Thursday, May 12, 2022
Monopoly Affects Journalism Also
"Today we take a look at the impacts of media ownership on society including legacy newspapers and social media platforms owned by billionaires and the consolidation of our news and entertainment corporations through mega mergers."
This label should be required on ALL conservative media:
Click on the link below for another reason to change the politics in the USA:
Tuesday, October 20, 2020
Memo To USA: Ignore Science At Your Peril
"From America's inception, there has always been a rebellious, anti-establishment mentality. That way of thinking has become more reckless now that the entire world is interconnected and there are added layers of verification (or repudiation) of facts.
"As the great minds in this video can attest, there are systems and mechanisms in place to discern between opinion and truth. By making conscious efforts to undermine and ignore those systems at every turn (climate change, conspiracy theories, coronavirus, politics, etc.), America has compromised its position of power and effectively stunted its own growth.
"A part of the problem, according to writer and radio host Kurt Andersen, is a new media infrastructure that allows for false opinions to persist and spread to others. Is it the beginning of the end of the American empire?"
Click on the link below for an extremely important 25-minute video.
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
It's Not Just Facebook
"It occurred to me recently that the problem with Facebook’s omnipotent algorithm is very similar to a problem we see with scientific publishing. In scientific publishing, we also have a widely used technique for filtering information that is causing trouble. In this case, we filter which publications or authors we judge as promising.
"For this filtering, it has become common to look at the number of citations that a paper receives. And this does cause problems, because the number of citations may be entirely disconnected from the real-world impact of a research direction. The only thing the number of citations really demonstrates is popularity. Citations are a measure that’s as disconnected from scientific relevance as the number of likes is from the truth value of an article on Facebook.
"Of course, the two situations are different in some ways. For example on social media, there is little tradition of quoting sources. This has the effect that a lot of outlets copy news from each other and that it is extra hard to check the accuracy of a statement. Another difference is that social media has a much faster turnover-rate than scientific publications. This means on social media people don’t have a lot of time to think before they pass on information. But in both cases, we have a problem caused by the near-monopoly of a single algorithm."
The trouble with Facebook and what it has in common with scientific publishing
"For this filtering, it has become common to look at the number of citations that a paper receives. And this does cause problems, because the number of citations may be entirely disconnected from the real-world impact of a research direction. The only thing the number of citations really demonstrates is popularity. Citations are a measure that’s as disconnected from scientific relevance as the number of likes is from the truth value of an article on Facebook.
"Of course, the two situations are different in some ways. For example on social media, there is little tradition of quoting sources. This has the effect that a lot of outlets copy news from each other and that it is extra hard to check the accuracy of a statement. Another difference is that social media has a much faster turnover-rate than scientific publications. This means on social media people don’t have a lot of time to think before they pass on information. But in both cases, we have a problem caused by the near-monopoly of a single algorithm."
The trouble with Facebook and what it has in common with scientific publishing
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
Journalism: The Barrier Between Freedom & Tyranny
"Newspapers and journalists of all kinds perhaps have never been under such duress. From changing business models. From a polarized body politic. From the president of the United States and other politicians of both parties who would rather operate in the dark.
"Those pressures are real. But they should not obscure the fact that every day, across the nation, thousands of reporters, editors and visual journalists are asking questions, breaking news, investigating public and private officials, explaining their country or community, and telling compelling stories."
Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/opinion/editorials/article209136654.html#storylink=cpy
"Those pressures are real. But they should not obscure the fact that every day, across the nation, thousands of reporters, editors and visual journalists are asking questions, breaking news, investigating public and private officials, explaining their country or community, and telling compelling stories."
(themedianet)
Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/opinion/editorials/article209136654.html#storylink=cpy
Thursday, March 22, 2018
There May Be A Better Way To Communicate Reality
Communicating fact, science and science-based thinking to the public is a frustrating effort. This article presents some tips, especially to journalists.
Saturday, November 12, 2016
The History Of Reporting On Climate Change And Exposing Deniers
"Across centuries, the scientific literature documents climate research
unceasingly. But from week to week, ephemeral journalism reports it
unevenly. Climate-change deniers can exploit the unevenness, falsely
portraying the science as unseriously contrived, not painstakingly
established. That’s a reason for attention to Andrew Revkin’s New York Times posting
“News coverage of coal’s link to global warming, in 1912”—and to other
reporting that embraces climate science’s development since the 19th
century and recognizes how the subject has, or has not, been publicly
discussed."
Climate science’s long history matters—and so does the history of news reporting about it
Climate science’s long history matters—and so does the history of news reporting about it
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Fake News Websites
Following are links to fake news website lists:
Snopes
Wikipedia
About
Facebook
Fake News Watch
Granite Crok
Media Bias/ Fact Check
OR, just do a Google search for the website in question.
Snopes
Wikipedia
About
Fake News Watch
Granite Crok
Media Bias/ Fact Check
OR, just do a Google search for the website in question.
Monday, November 7, 2016
A Major Medical Journal Goes To The Dark Side
"Dr. David Spiegel, the medical director of the Center for Integrative
Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine says, 'I don’t think
we’re at the point where it’s an obvious science yet, but I think we’re
heading in that direction.' I think that JAMA should read that line
again. If they are publishing articles highlighting approaches that are
not backed by science - then medicine is going down a very dangerous
road. And, JAMA is leading the way."
AMA highlights alternative approaches with no scientific evidence
AMA highlights alternative approaches with no scientific evidence
Sunday, October 9, 2016
It IS The Religion, Stupid
"PuffHo is on a crusade to stamp out 'Islamophobia,' by which it
apparently means not just bigotry against Muslims themselves, which is
reprehensible, but criticism of the religion. To the latter end, it
repeatedly asserts that Islam is not a divisive, xenophobic, or
particularly hateful faith—and it’s not, so long as you’re a Muslim of
the right sect. But if you’re a Sunni, the Shias should watch out, along
with nonbelievers, ex-Muslims, gays, Christians, and women (the list is
long)."
PuffHo tries to whitewash Islam again (yawn)
Sam Harris presents the truth.
PuffHo tries to whitewash Islam again (yawn)
Sam Harris presents the truth.
Thursday, September 22, 2016
Why Do Atheists Waste Their Time Thinking About Religion?
"If you atheists are so against religion, why do you waste your time thinking about it or even blogging about it?"
A "Top 5" List
A "Top 5" List
Sunday, September 11, 2016
The 9/11 Sermon All Need To Read
"Whatever else may be wrong with our world, it remains a fact that some
of the most terrifying instances of human conflict and stupidity would
be unthinkable without religion. And the other ideologies that inspire
people to behave like monsters—Stalinism, fascism, etc.—are dangerous
precisely because they so resemble religions. Sacrifice for the
Dear Leader, however secular, is an act of cultic conformity and
worship. Whenever human obsession is channeled in these ways, we can see
the ancient framework upon which every religion was built. In our
ignorance, fear, and craving for order, we created the gods. And
ignorance, fear, and craving keep them with us."
Yes, we must destroy al Qaeda. But humanity has a larger project—to become sane.
Yes, we must destroy al Qaeda. But humanity has a larger project—to become sane.
Thursday, September 8, 2016
WebMD: Be Cautious
While much of its information is accurate, there also are frequent false or misleading "scares", for example:
WebDUMB Swallows Stupid Food Scares
WebDUMB Swallows Stupid Food Scares
Monday, September 5, 2016
Facebook Is Censoring Science And Journalism
"FB removed the page of a pro-GMO advocate but allows the controversial Dr. Oz to promote miracle cures."
Facebook’s policy seems clear: If somebody is offended, it is best to censor first and ask questions later.
Facebook’s policy seems clear: If somebody is offended, it is best to censor first and ask questions later.
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
The Subtle Assumption Of Unsupported Dogma By The Media
"What newswriter (anchors don’t write their own copy) would say such a
thing—and get away with it? The sooner that newspapers and television
stop tacitly assuming that we live on after death, the better."
NBC News tacitly accepts Heaven
NBC News tacitly accepts Heaven
Monday, August 22, 2016
John Oliver On Charter Schools
A serious question: why is a comedian the most prominent voice for exposing this?
So you think Charter Schools are the answer to the problems with public schools?
A related article: evidence shows clearly that public funds diverted to private entities is not going to improve education overall.
What the U.S. can learn from Canada on education
So you think Charter Schools are the answer to the problems with public schools?
A related article: evidence shows clearly that public funds diverted to private entities is not going to improve education overall.
What the U.S. can learn from Canada on education
Tuesday, August 9, 2016
Newspapers Are At The Bottom Of the Journalism Food Chain
"Either way, the market for serious, decently-paid journalists is dying,
and when it’s gone, we’ll have clickbait and endless Kardashiana as our
daily fare. The New York Times will be the last credible paper in America."
The death of journalism
The death of journalism
Friday, July 15, 2016
The Fall Of A Once Great Magazine
"Well, we know that the Murdoch family and their Fox organization took over the magazine rag at the end of 2015. As the Guardian reported then,
the magazine was bleeding money, and after the takeover a lot of people
either quit or were fired. And now, it seems, the magazine is turning
into a tabloid, one with strong religious overtones."
What the hell happened to National Geographic?
What the hell happened to National Geographic?
Saturday, May 28, 2016
Science Journalism Sucks
"In short, this is a horrible hack job of science reporting that mangles
all the basic facts and focuses on a fictitious implication of the
research that seems to have been invented by the reporter to generate
click bait."
A Tale of Two Science News Reports
A Tale of Two Science News Reports
Friday, May 20, 2016
Medical Science Spin Is A Widespread Problem
"Would you read a story if this was the headline: 'New study raises
questions about an experimental treatment that might not work and won't
be ready for a long time.' That description would apply to most medical studies that make the
news but would be unlikely to generate the clicks, taps, likes and
shares that propel a story through cyberspace and social media. What gets clicks? Words like 'breakthrough,' 'groundbreaking,' 'game
changer' and 'lifesaver.' And that's how much of medical news is
described."
So, who's hyping the science? Everybody, it turns out.
So, who's hyping the science? Everybody, it turns out.
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