Live data from Hacker News

Is The Economist Always Wrong?

economist.com

111–120 of 189 posts

Re: Is The Economist Always Wrong?

#111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Chomsky said it was the only newspaper that told the truth.

Chomsky is a perfect example of an academic that should never have strayed outside the academy. Everything he's done outside of his narrow field of linguistics has been an embarrassment.

no, he also underatands the system, propaganda, manipulation pretty well... he was just on the wrong side of truth and justice.

Re: Is The Economist Always Wrong?

#112
post #91
post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My apologies, I've corrected my comment.

No worries. > This millennium is also entirely, utterly, absolutely defined by the short-sighted ideas of the economist. I think you give them more credit than is due. (And for all their faults, I don't think you can accuse them of eg having caused covid or started the war against Ukraine or turned China towards greater autocracy again.)

I’m just saying, it’d be nice to see some self-reflection once in a while.

Re: Is The Economist Always Wrong?

#113
They're wrong and right in equal measure, but what they do is publish their opinions with conviction and back it up with sound arguments and facts. I remember reading articles they published in the late 80s about their belief that Japans economic boom was about to end, but they were also one of the biggest backers of Bush's invasion of Iraq which they were disastrously wrong about. I haven't read it for a while so I don't know what they're like now but for forward economic intelligence they were always one of the best.

Re: Is The Economist Always Wrong?

#114
An outgoing foreign affairs editor suggested in 1988 that the newspaper ‘never saw a war it didn’t like’. 𐞸

𐞸 https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/2020/05/27/book-rev...

𐞸 Maybe outdated regarding the later conflicts (tbh i don't know, i didn't follow their positions on the Ukraine and the Middle-East wars).

Re: Is The Economist Always Wrong?

#115

After reading their newspaper (their label, not mine) for years, I've come away with three revelations: A) More than gaining insight and staying abreast of events, what I was really purchasing was the /feeling/ of being in-the-know. B) Whenever I met with "certain" people, they were likely to also read The Economist which turned out to be another, tremendously handy means of anchoring conversation. C) The trade balan…

The Economist is to the City of London (the financial center masquerading as a local authority, not the metropolis) what Pravda was to the Soviet Communist Party. Useless as a source of truth, but invaluable to find out who was going to be purged and you should disown stat. Similarly The Economist is useful as a barometer of conventional wisdom in as very specific demographic. Their science and arts section can be very good at times, however.

Re: Is The Economist Always Wrong?

#117
post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is that amazing? For all his faults, Boris Johnson is an excellent writer.

There is an amazing write up[0] of somebody who was present when Boris gave some apparently "impromptu" speeches who absolutely pins him to the ground on his technique for appearing haphazard, off-the-cuff when it's patently clear its a rehearsed schtick. The man is literate. The problem is he is also almost amoral, and should never have been allowed to occupy a position of authority. He has some charming qualities,…

  > and should never have been allowed to occupy a position of authority. He has some charming qualities
This is quite the contradiction in a democracy. Democracies, at least in modern indirect democracy form, are popularity contests.

I personally prefer this form of government over other popular choices. But ignoring this aspect is exactly what leads to unqualified people being elected to office.

Re: Is The Economist Always Wrong?

#119
post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is that amazing? For all his faults, Boris Johnson is an excellent writer.

There is an amazing write up[0] of somebody who was present when Boris gave some apparently "impromptu" speeches who absolutely pins him to the ground on his technique for appearing haphazard, off-the-cuff when it's patently clear its a rehearsed schtick. The man is literate. The problem is he is also almost amoral, and should never have been allowed to occupy a position of authority. He has some charming qualities,…

https://archive.is/WGJJO

Re: Is The Economist Always Wrong?

#120

> We used artificial intelligence to test the accuracy of our forecasts I like the disclosure at the top, saves time.

Saves time, as in "no need to read any further".

The fact that a publication would think that using AI to "confirm" a forecast bodes poorly not only on the publication, but also on those who would rely on such a forecast.

Post reply on HN