Science, lies, ethics and the written word

[mynah]

What are your opinions on the lawsuit against The New Yorker by Papuans who are unhappy about an article by Jared Diamond, and of the role of Stinky Journalism (sic) in it?

[lemit]

If the lawsuit has merit, The New Yorker has changed more than I thought. That certainly doesn't look like the magazine described by Robert Benchley and Dorothy Parker.

I remember the controversy when Tina Brown took over and announced The New Yorker would publish stories with more immediacy, although that apparently was less controversial than having photos on the cover.

As for Stinky Journalism, I'm not sure yet whether it lives up to its name. I added myself to its mailing list (I already subscribe to The New Yorker). At first blush, it's no CJR., nor, for that matter, can it be compared to The Daily Show. I suppose the fact that The Daily Show is primarily a comedy show might be instructive.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. In a few months, I'll get back to you.

There's one thing I can say right now, though. The Papua New Guinea story-behind-the-story seems, well, stinky. It stinks the way the internet allows or maybe breeds. But I love the movie "Shattered Glass." Of course the Stinky site isn't Forbes, and for that matter not many journals are The New Republic.

The whole thing seems messy--and stinky.

--lemit

[HydrogenBond]

Based on the data available, one we draw a reasonable conclusion. The more immediate the assessment of a story, the less data there is available, therefore the more off the logic can be, with respect to the final reality. For example, if we had two data points, the best logical conclusion is we have a line. If we have three data points, it can still be a line, within a margin of error, but it can now also be a triangle or the arc of a curve. The controversy begins as others add data.

If we add a fourth data point, it can still be a line, but within a different margin of error, a triangle within its own margin of error, an arc within its margin of error, but now also a quadrangle. If we waited until all the data was in, say a hundred data points, it becomes much more clear what is real. Unfortunately, in a competitive news market, real is the last to get to printed, maybe on page 23 several weeks down the line. The two data point line deducers get published first, on page one, immediately.