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The Truth Is Paywalled but the Lies Are Free

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71–80 of 503 posts

Re: The Truth Is Paywalled but the Lies Are Free

#71
post #59
post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's the bias you see in the statements "King Louis was executed" or "former king Louis executed by means of guillotine for high treason"? Both the terms "execution" and "high treason" are objective descriptions takens from the proceedings.

No? Treason is in the eye of the revolutionary judge. The trial was never a fair one, the outcome was clear from the start. And from an unfair trial and an unjust judgement you can't lawfully execute someone, you can only murder him execution-style.

You are conflating reporting and editorializing. Whether the trial was fair and the execution just is an opinion, and yes, that has a bias. But whether you agree with the sentence has no bearing on whether it took place.

So no, you can't have it both ways. You can't point to objective reporting and claim it has a bias, when in reality you mean that the reporting isn't showing your preferred bias.

Re: The Truth Is Paywalled but the Lies Are Free

#72
post #3

I would be willing to pay an amount for better quality news than what can be found for free, however news outlets always seem to lean one way. I want somebody to just report and not tilt it in one direction.

This is called "false balance." Reality doesn't have sides.

Re: The Truth Is Paywalled but the Lies Are Free

#73
post #3

I would be willing to pay an amount for better quality news than what can be found for free, however news outlets always seem to lean one way. I want somebody to just report and not tilt it in one direction.

"Objectivity" in journalism does not mean unbiased, or The Truth.

Simple recipe to follow:

- Show your work.

- Cite your sources.

- Corroborate.

- Sign your name.

- Admit your mistakes.

Voila, you're a journalist.

Re: The Truth Is Paywalled but the Lies Are Free

#74
post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is unbiased? If you were a late 18th century french reporter writing a report about the death of king Louis XVI, would you write "King Louis was murdered", "King Louis was executed", "former king Louis executed by means of guillotine for high treason", "citizen Louis Capet beheaded on the order of the National Convention" or something else? All of those descriptions can be considered true and yet none are unbias…

What's the bias you see in the statements "King Louis was executed" or "former king Louis executed by means of guillotine for high treason"? Both the terms "execution" and "high treason" are objective descriptions takens from the proceedings.

The bias is in the use of the word "King".

Re: The Truth Is Paywalled but the Lies Are Free

#75
> Now, I am sure there will be those who argue that any universal knowledge access system of this kind will inhibit the creation of new work by reducing the rewards people get. But let us note a few facts: first, dead people cannot be incentivized to be creative, thus at least everything ever created by a person who is now dead should be made freely available to all. The gatekeepers to intellectual products made by the dead are parasites the equivalent of a private individual who sets up a gate and a tollbooth in the middle of a road somebody else has already built and starts charging people if they want to pass.

This seems wrong. Longer-lasting copyright does incentivize authors more, because it can be sold for more.

Re: The Truth Is Paywalled but the Lies Are Free

#76
post #22

I just want Netflix for journalism. I don't want a super expensive sub to a dozen papers. I want one subscription, they all should be included (maybe offer different tiers if you are an arse) and it shouldn't be more than $20/month. Go.

Hard pass on algorithmic recommenders.

I have always wanted human curation, filters, opinion.

Re: The Truth Is Paywalled but the Lies Are Free

#77

Lies are not free, they are paid by ads and a complete industry is built on keeping this going. The price of the ads are built into the price of the product/service you buy, so we are basically paying for the lies too, it’s just not as obvious as paying to get through the paywall.

Great point. You could say that the "lies" are propaganda, as much as the advertisement that they are the vehicle for. Inundated with this much propaganda, which points to the impotence of the individual, no wonder we're seeing so much mass unrest.

Re: The Truth Is Paywalled but the Lies Are Free

#78

Lies are not free, they are paid by ads and a complete industry is built on keeping this going. The price of the ads are built into the price of the product/service you buy, so we are basically paying for the lies too, it’s just not as obvious as paying to get through the paywall.

Conspiracies are a never ending source for new ownable keywords and terminology, which combined with the "research it yourself mantra" only drives people deeper into the ecosystem of alternative book stores and prepper online shops etc. If people would know how the web works they'd be more sceptic about the media they encounter and their calls to action.

Re: The Truth Is Paywalled but the Lies Are Free

#79
post #3

I would be willing to pay an amount for better quality news than what can be found for free, however news outlets always seem to lean one way. I want somebody to just report and not tilt it in one direction.

One compromise is to find a news source that is at least open about its bias. The Economist is a famous example of this: it will openly declare support (and opposition) for particular political candidates and policies.

"Transparency is the new objectivity."

Re: The Truth Is Paywalled but the Lies Are Free

#80
post #3

I would be willing to pay an amount for better quality news than what can be found for free, however news outlets always seem to lean one way. I want somebody to just report and not tilt it in one direction.

You want something you can trust absolutely and not have to engage with critically at all. It's a reasonable desire, but one much more likely to be fulfilled in the realm of religious faith than that of news or any other human activity.
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