Comments on: Eichenwald blasts bloggers. Is that a fact or is he reporting again? http://tatumweb.com/blog/2006/04/01/eichenwald-blasts-bloggers/ Pentecostal Rumination and Review Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:24:06 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Tammy http://tatumweb.com/blog/2006/04/01/eichenwald-blasts-bloggers/comment-page-1/#comment-1658 Tammy Mon, 03 Apr 2006 00:46:50 +0000 http://tatumweb.com/blog/index.php/2006/04/01/eichenwald-blasts-bloggers/#comment-1658 Hi Rich, Thanks for your comment on my blog. Great to know there are other Godbloggers in the neighborhood! :) God bless, Tammy www.hopedeferred.blogspot.com Hi Rich,

Thanks for your comment on my blog. Great to know there are other Godbloggers in the neighborhood! :)

God bless,
Tammy
http://www.hopedeferred.blogspot.com

]]> By: Rich http://tatumweb.com/blog/2006/04/01/eichenwald-blasts-bloggers/comment-page-1/#comment-1637 Rich Sat, 01 Apr 2006 08:53:59 +0000 http://tatumweb.com/blog/index.php/2006/04/01/eichenwald-blasts-bloggers/#comment-1637 To be fair to Kurt, he was given an opportunity to expand on his thinking in an interview: <blockquote>"One of the biggest problems that our profession faces is that we have trouble delineating between 'facts' and 'opinions' and 'knowledge.' If you allow facts to be interpreted as knowledge, you may be completely wrong. You need a grounding in numerous disciplines for your article to be the closest representation of the truth that you can get....<br /><br />The biggest problem in American journalism is not bias. It's not a matter of conservative or liberal. It's laziness. Some go and collect a lot of quotes and put them together and never attempt to determine whose opinion is driven by fact and knowledge."<br /><br />JS Online: "<a href="http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=412257">Kurt Eichenwald 'Takes Five'</a>"</blockquote> I certainly can agree with the issue of laziness. It takes a lot of phone calls, face-time, and research to dig down past the surface layer of any random quote. And since most bloggers have day-jobs it's not always laziness that drives the blogworld crazy with unfounded speculation. Sometimes it's simply the need to post a blog entry and no resources to research it. Those of us who blog should be careful to note when we are regurgitating second-hand factoids. I agree that the problem is not bias. Because I think it's inescapeable. The problem is presumed objectivity and veiled bias. Yes, I know Fox News has a conservative bias. And I think its inethical for Fox to say it offers fair and balanced coverage. It's not. Fair and conservative, maybe. Just admit your biases up front, and let your audience decide whether you're worth engaging. Too many journalists, in my opinion, have fooled themselves into thinking they are objective like all their liberal-minded friends are. But they don't know any conservatives and they never hear anybody saying, "What the...? Are you crazy?" Me? I get that all the time. Rich <a href="http://tatumweb.com/blog/">BlogRodent</a> To be fair to Kurt, he was given an opportunity to expand on his thinking in an interview:

“One of the biggest problems that our profession faces is that we have trouble delineating between ‘facts’ and ‘opinions’ and ‘knowledge.’ If you allow facts to be interpreted as knowledge, you may be completely wrong. You need a grounding in numerous disciplines for your article to be the closest representation of the truth that you can get….

The biggest problem in American journalism is not bias. It’s not a matter of conservative or liberal. It’s laziness. Some go and collect a lot of quotes and put them together and never attempt to determine whose opinion is driven by fact and knowledge.”

JS Online: “Kurt Eichenwald ‘Takes Five’“

I certainly can agree with the issue of laziness. It takes a lot of phone calls, face-time, and research to dig down past the surface layer of any random quote. And since most bloggers have day-jobs it’s not always laziness that drives the blogworld crazy with unfounded speculation. Sometimes it’s simply the need to post a blog entry and no resources to research it. Those of us who blog should be careful to note when we are regurgitating second-hand factoids.

I agree that the problem is not bias. Because I think it’s inescapeable. The problem is presumed objectivity and veiled bias.

Yes, I know Fox News has a conservative bias. And I think its inethical for Fox to say it offers fair and balanced coverage. It’s not. Fair and conservative, maybe.

Just admit your biases up front, and let your audience decide whether you’re worth engaging. Too many journalists, in my opinion, have fooled themselves into thinking they are objective like all their liberal-minded friends are. But they don’t know any conservatives and they never hear anybody saying, “What the…? Are you crazy?”

Me? I get that all the time.

Rich
BlogRodent

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