Comments on: HuffPo wants to be a newspaper

By: shafqat

shafqat — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 03:46:35 +0000

Agreed. False objectivity in the name of balance is dangerous. Often, that leads to distortion of the truth, which is not only a barrier to understanding, but a threat to democracy.

By: mathewi

mathewi — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 03:37:06 +0000

Thanks for the comment, Shafqat. I actually think Arianna and I are
both right :-) I think the point she's making is that in some cases, a
false objectivity is actually a barrier to understanding, and strong
opinion can be a good solution. But I don't think she would be opposed
to fairness or balance, which I think is a slightly different thing.

By: shafqat

shafqat — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 03:30:49 +0000

Nice post. I found it quite interesting that you did exactly what Arianna was calling out: presenting both sides of the story without taking a delilberate stance. I don't necessarily agree that her propsal for a new kind of media (one that does not present objectivity) is correct. But the fact that you presented her views and then linked to an equally opposing view was a reflection of how journalism works today. Is that kind of neutrality a bad thing? Quite the opposite – you're presenting the facts and the necessary information, I can work out an opinion.

By: shafqat

shafqat — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 23:46:35 +0000

Agreed. False objectivity in the name of balance is dangerous. Often, that leads to distortion of the truth, which is not only a barrier to understanding, but a threat to democracy.

By: mathewi

mathewi — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 23:37:06 +0000