Comments on: Harnessing the Wisdom of Crowds to Spot Spin http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2008/09/harnessing_the_1.html The Law, the Universe, and Everything Tue, 14 Feb 2012 05:18:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: A.J. Sutter http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2008/09/harnessing_the_1.html/comment-page-1#comment-47239 A.J. Sutter Tue, 16 Sep 2008 06:28:52 +0000 http://www.solove.org/archives/2008/09/harnessing-the-wisdom-of-crowds-to-spot-spin.html#comment-47239 It's sad that software is now preferable to simple critical thinking. That used to be more than sufficient, though it seems that nowadays those who deploy it are liable to be mocked for using some kind of "elite" faculty. And of the bias inherent in the phrase "media bias" itself? Who originated this phrase? What the cultural presuppositions embodied in it -- would the same concept be apposite in, say, France, Italy or even Japan? (Rhetorical question.) And what is its connection to disinformation (minus scare quotes)? How often in current American political discourse is the charge of "media bias" an apt candidate for the maxim, "he who smelt it, dealt it?" It’s sad that software is now preferable to simple critical thinking. That used to be more than sufficient, though it seems that nowadays those who deploy it are liable to be mocked for using some kind of “elite” faculty.

And of the bias inherent in the phrase “media bias” itself? Who originated this phrase? What the cultural presuppositions embodied in it — would the same concept be apposite in, say, France, Italy or even Japan? (Rhetorical question.) And what is its connection to disinformation (minus scare quotes)? How often in current American political discourse is the charge of “media bias” an apt candidate for the maxim, “he who smelt it, dealt it?”

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