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Stupid factsTawanna Brawley. Duke LAX. Scott Thomas Beauchamp. The narrative. It is one thing to assemble evidence and from them draw conclusions. It is quite another to start with a conclusion and then assemble supporting evidence. Too many reporters and their editors use the latter technique, because, as John Leo points out in his excellent Townhall column, they find the “story lines congenial” even when the facts – those stupid, stubborn facts – get in the way of “the narrative”:
7 comments to Stupid facts |
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I think getting rid of adverbs is a start. Then reporters must stop using adjectives. If that doesn’t produce objectivity, verbs must go.
The journos most desperate to “make a difference” often can’t tell the difference between an indifferent fact and a hopeful fantasy. If it “feels right” it MUST be true.
Facts are boring, independent and stand on their own. Facts don’t belong to anyone.
Narratives tend to be breathless, hand-wringing waifs—always dependent “on the kindness of strangers”.
We can ignore facts and they’re still there. But a narrative ignored simply dies…if it isn’t killed quickly by changing the subject when an inconvenient fact appears.
Awkward things, those facts. They can ruin a beautiful hypothesis like anthropogenic global warming, or mercury poisoning causing autism.
The thing about facts is, that they just *are*. There’s nothing you can do about them, wth any amount of talking and handwaving.
Drinking works better, to some extent.
N.B. Drinking may also invoke talking and handwaving, if you do it with other people.
I blame Woodward and Bernstein for the current generation of “opinion shapers”. Recording history is boring. Shaping history is intoxicating. Some MSM-types are starting to wake up (with attendant throbbing head and bloodshot eyes), but I think most are still at the bar, trying to beat the last call.
Cap’n,
I submit ‘journalists’, as opposed to ‘reporters’ start off from the premise ‘They MUST be doing something wrong. I’ve just got find it.’ and then proceed to prove their faulty premise. Perhaps we should rename newspapers and broadcast news ‘Pamphleteers’ at least then people would know when something is being reported or somebody is trying to influence outcomes.
[...] Good commentary on regular media templates is here. [...]
I do like your phrase “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable”, and I agree, journalists like Tom Brokaw are hard to come by but, not everyone can be the best!
Nice article!
Mike
http://stupidfacts.info