Current Events — HabitableZone

Current Events » in reply to re: Thank you. I'm happy you understand my point.

True as far as it goes.
Mary Anne — (archived)

I have no argument with anything you said.

Jason also writes about personal experiences, which are taken as Gospel by people who think that, because he's a blogger, he is therefore exactly who he says he is. Maybe he is; maybe he isn't. There are ways to establish authenticity. I went looking for them at his blog before I made a single remark along this line, and was not satisfied.

Much of Jason's authority when he writes opinion about, say, Iraq is based on the idea that he was there, and has first-hand information. But if one can't check, why should I take him more on faith than I do any other media source?

I have said before, opinion is different. Anyone can have an opinion, and all opinions are equally valid, even though some are better informed. Helen Keller could have an opinion about the nature of color which is just as valid as mine, but I can report on facts about color to which she had no access.

This is not just about opinion. It's about the nature of testimony. Bloggers have yet to encounter their Jayson Blair. Do they want to be ready to defend their credibility or not?

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