Forbes: Journalistic Integrity, Values, and Standards? I'm not so sure...

 

 

Let’s do an experiment.

 

In any experiment, one starts with a question or problem, forms a hypothesis as to what they think will answer the question or solve the problem, then sets about testing the soundness of that hypothesis.  At least that’s what I seem to recall from my high school science classes.  

 

So, here are my questions.  Will journalistic publishers ever provide unbiased information or at the very least, present ALL the sides of an argument with descriptions of where bias my bleed into them from the participating parties?  Are journalists and editors and publishers capable of delivering data and opinions in a manner that stimulates conversation, understanding, and informed decisions?  Or are they just about ego and money-generating clickbait?

Dear SAG-AFTRA – Go Screw Yourselves!

 

When the writers went on strike I really couldn’t muster a fart.  Like everyone else, they gotta do what they gotta do.  And in the end, it wasn’t going to amount to anything permanently worthwhile because that’s how America rolls.  America is not a society of proactive action.  We don’t like to prevent disaster; we like to wait for it to happen to us, bitch about it, throw around blame, and go back to regular programming without ever changing course.  Sometimes we duct tape and silly string together a “new plan” to protect certain vulnerable groups from repeat disaster, but it’s always half-hearted and never well thought out.  It’ll be the same for writers in Hollywood.  Studios will give in a little.  There will be a New Deal that’ll last a couple years and be full of loopholes, but no one will care because the big names in the Writers’ Guild will call it a win at election time and the senior writers will get theirs before retiring in a few years giving no figs for the up-and-coming writers, cuz screw them, we got ours! 

How Elon Musk Could Save Twitter and Make the World a Better Place.

For as long as technology has existed, it’s been marketed as something that makes the world a better place; a tool for better, easier lives.  Fire?  Kills pathogens and makes food taste good.  The Wheel?  Makes hauling stuff less backbreaking and way more fun.  The telephone? At it’s peak, its benefits were weighted towards the positive – saving lives and bringing people together through faster, albeit more expensive, communication than a letter or telegram.  These days however, it could be argued the telephone is something we tolerate for the sake of possibly, if we we can get a dispatcher to answer and haven't had our call hijacked by someone operating a Stingray, being able to call for emergency services in the event of a crisis.  Today, telephone calls are the territory of old people and con artists selling car warranties and trying to scare you by saying your “social security number is suspend (sic)”.  Why?  Because we have social media.  No one needs to talk to their friends on the phone anymore because they already know everything they’ve done all day long – it’s all posted on their social media accounts.  Meals eaten, diapers changed, traffic snarls, wrong drink delivered at Starbucks, concert attended, layoff, school acceptance, new job…it’s all there, all day long, every day, an endlessly scrolling record of everyone’s day updated every second.