facts?
where we're going, we don't need "facts"
CIA to Sunset the World Factbook
161–170 of 279 posts
Re: CIA to Sunset the World Factbook
#162Earlier quoted context omitted.
"Bias isn't bias if I agree with the side it's taking!"
It's not bias if it's factual reality. You not liking it doesn't make it bias.
It is bias if your "factual reality" over-exaggerates the "facts" for the "bad guys" and under-exaggerates / completely neglects to report on the "good guys"
Re: CIA to Sunset the World Factbook
#163Of all the organisations you’d think the CIA would understand the value of soft power and having some level of control of facts being published
It's part of a multi-pronged approach to intentionally cede US soft power.
To what ends I'm still fuzzy on, but this discontinuation follows a pattern we've seen with this administration knee-capping or outright dismantling many of the ways this country spreads soft power such as through humanitarian services via USAID, broadcasts from Voice of America, ending international research opportunities and divesting us from the WHO, and doing everything possible to turn the US into a pariah in the eyes of NATO, just to name a few big changes.
Re: CIA to Sunset the World Factbook
#164Earlier quoted context omitted.
Wikipedia is actually the secondary source when someone reads a page on it, and it requires primary sources (like factbooks) to cite to exist.
The problem is who checks the sources. Of the what billions of sources, how many have actually been verified?
>who checks the sources
I do, when I’m reading something and accuracy matters. Anybody who cares about accuracy will investigate the sources. I know people will complain that “nobody” does this, but it is essential, without checking sources you are just casually reading. That goes for books and all media consumption. If a book or any media (ahem Tucker) doesn’t give you enough information to be able to look something up, that is rather a red flag of obfuscation.
Re: CIA to Sunset the World Factbook
#165An outdated service that belongs to the era of encyclopedia. Wikipedia moved us past it. ChatGPT has moved us so far past it, it's become a relic.
This is so stupid. Wikipedia needs sources and citations in order to construct articles, and chatgpt needs training data to build it's models. The CIA world fact book sits at the core of training and wikipedia citations. It is the inception point of all these other services you use.
It probably also costs nothing to make. The CIA maintains dedicated analysts monitoring the world. Have those guys kick out a public report every once in a while sounds like the cheapest possible program.
Re: CIA to Sunset the World Factbook
#166Of all the organisations you’d think the CIA would understand the value of soft power and having some level of control of facts being published
It's part of a multi-pronged approach to intentionally cede US soft power. To what ends I'm still fuzzy on, but this discontinuation follows a pattern we've seen with this administration knee-capping or outright dismantling many of the ways this country spreads soft power such as through humanitarian services via USAID, broadcasts from Voice of America, ending international research opportunities and divesting us fro…
Fox News figure-head cabinet might not be the most, ah, strategically minded group of people.
Re: CIA to Sunset the World Factbook
#167Obviously, facts do not play a big role in the current government's world view.
Truly dark times when we can't even trust the CIA anymore.
Then don't watch "Everything is a Rich Man's Trick" that was what showed me a bit of the under dealings of how that organization was structured and created.
Spoiler: The CIA was formed around rich people's interests and continue to represent them, not in fact, the American people. Harsh reality but helpful to know.
Re: CIA to Sunset the World Factbook
#168Obviously, facts do not play a big role in the current government's world view.
Like Ken Jennings said about this: "you have wonder if the problem was 'world,' 'facts,' or 'books'"
Re: CIA to Sunset the World Factbook
#169I don't understand why they created or obtained control of the world Factbook in the first place, anyone have a story around this?
I thought the CIA was formed to represent rich people's interests and maybe in that way the Factbook was another trick to lend legitimacy to their organization.
Re: CIA to Sunset the World Factbook
#170Unfortunate. So many essays that I wrote in school cited The World Facebook as a source. I'm worried that the death of these easily accessible sources will push more and more pupils into relying on Wikipedia or even worse: AI. Being critical of what you see online and finding facts yourself is crucial to digital literacy.
At least Wikipedia is supposed to cite its sources, while AIs don’t.
Do you people even use the models or do you just lie about them?
https://chatgpt.com/share/6984c899-6cc4-8013-a8f6-ec204ee631...