Fact checking our own asses

Grok Headline matches for Fact checking our own asses

Asses, Fact Checked

Asses, Fact Checked 12/19/2004 03:45 PM
I think the media inaccuracy witch hunt is reaching its zenith. (Or perhaps its nadir.) Brian Williams is being slammed for saying that there are no black members of the of the Senate, and that it's a bigger problem than there being no black television news anchors on the major...

NYT: Blogs fact-check their own asses in
tsunami debate

NYT: Blogs fact-check their own asses in
tsunami debate 01/04/2005 08:56 PM
Xeni Jardin: Another insightful piece from John Schwartz at the New York Times about unsubstantiated rumors that spread online after the tsunami (example: Halliburton must have been behind it all). Story examines how bloggers reacted quickly to debunk falsehoods as they emerged, a sort of inherently self-healing trait evident in many online communities. I was among those interviewed for the piece, but as usual, others had far more interesting things to say.

[James Surowiecki, the author of "The Wisdom of Crowds"] pointed out that there is nothing new about ill-informed rumor-mongering or other forms of oddness. "There were always cranks," he said. "Rumors have always been fundamental about the way people talk, or think, about politics or complicated issues." Instead of a corner bar or a Barcalounger, however, the location for today's speech is an online medium with a potential audience of millions.

But there is another, more important difference, Mr. Surowiecki and others say. Internet discourse can be self-correcting, with near-instant feedback from readers. What was lost in the sniping over the Democratic Underground posting was the fact that the follow-up comments were a sober discussion of what actually causes earthquakes. The first response to the posting asked, "Earthquakes have been happening since the beginning of time ... How would you explain them?"

Further comments explained the movement of tectonic plates and provided links to sites explaining earthquakes and tsunamis from the United States Geological Survey and other authoritative sources.

"Not to make fun, as I'm sure it's not a unique misconception ... but the reality is simple plate tectonics," one participant wrote. "The entire Pacific Ocean is slowly but surely closing in on itself. What happened is that the floor of the Indian Ocean slid over part of the Pacific Ocean, releasing massive tension in the Earth's crust.

"That's it. No mystic injury to the Gaia spirit or anything."

I know some folks have their digital knickers in a twist over the story's headline (Myths Run Wild in Blog Tsunami Debate), but I don't see anti-blog bias here. On the contrary, strikes me as a reasoned piece that traces how bloggers collectively sought to correct the record within their sphere of discourse. I would, however, like to point out that Mr. Schwartz totally missed the fact that an alarming number of blogs are in fact penned from corner bars and barcaloungers, thanks to the wonders of WiFi. Blowhards, unite! Link

A bit of fact-checking

A bit of fact-checking 09/01/2004 05:01 PM
analyzes

washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A50256-2004Aug31.html
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Fact-Checking C|Net

Fact-Checking C|Net 01/16/2004 11:03 AM

Blogging, ads, and fact-checking

Blogging, ads, and fact-checking 09/23/2004 10:31 AM
Pete Blackshaw of Intelliseek has a good article in MediaPost about the (mainly positive) influence of blogging on advertising, emphasizing the blogosphere's ability to expose errors, lies and exaggerations. So, as a lifetime repeat typo and thinko offender, it is with reluctance that I offer up the irony that in the course of recommending Dan Gillmor's We the Media, Pete misspells his name. Yo, Pete, I couldn't not mention that without betraying my blogospherical loyalties, could I?...

Fact-checking the Schiavo "experts"

Fact-checking the Schiavo "experts" 03/25/2005 07:16 PM
This week Fox News pundits showcased an "expert" doctor who supports keeping Terri alive. Never mind that they falsely awarded him a Nobel Prize nomination.

FAIR: If Only They Had Invented the
Internet - The Failure of Fact-Checking
at the Republican Convention

FAIR: If Only They Had Invented the
Internet - The Failure of Fact-Checking
at the Republican Convention 09/07/2004 06:09 PM
Common Dreams Sep 7 2004 10:06PM GMT

Adopting Journalists: Friendly Advice
and Fact-Checking, or Antagonistic Truth
Squads?

Adopting Journalists: Friendly Advice
and Fact-Checking, or Antagonistic Truth
Squads? 01/11/2004 01:32 PM
I like the idea that people are watching what I say and correcting me if I get things wrong -- or challenging my conclusions, based on the same facts (or facts I hadn't know about when I wrote the piece.) This is a piece of tomorrow's journalism, and we in the business should welcome the feedback and assistance that, if we do it right, becomes part of a larger conversation.

"Mom, what are asses of evil?"

"Mom, what are asses of evil?" 09/02/2004 10:09 AM
Protesters have taken over my Manhattan neighborhood. But how do I explain their signs -- let alone the dismal state of the world -- to my 9-year-old son?

Huge Tit & Big Round Asses

Huge Tit & Big Round Asses 05/09/2004 03:28 AM
huge-tit.biz

huge-tit.biz
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Oh yippie! We're gonna get our asses
kicked!

Oh yippie! We're gonna get our asses
kicked! 03/19/2003 10:44 PM
Breaking News from ABCNEWS.com Resolution On Iraq Withdrawn, Effort Abandoned to Win U.N. Backing For War So let’s see, that’s us, Britain, and maybe Spain (though the Spanish might father more people than they kill) up against just about every...

Anil kicks linkspammers' asses

Anil kicks linkspammers' asses 07/08/2004 03:24 PM
A bunch of blog-spammers and google-spoofers (the euphemism is "Search Engine Optimization" -- no doubt you've received spam offering you this "service") set up a competition to see who could become the number one Google result for the previously unused phrase "nigritude ultramarine." So they set about creating their link-farms and so forth.

Then Anil Dash, a blogger who works for SixApart, decided to kick their asses. These spammers' google-whuffie was puny relative to Anil's popular, much-linked blog, and when he created a post and asked his readers to link to him using "nigritude ultramarine" as the link-text, he won the competition handily.

To Dash, then, winning the flat-screen television awarded to the second-round victor was testament to the power of good content and a longstanding online presence.

"A lot of people are trying to increase their page rank unethically," said Dash. "I think if we show them (that) the best thing you can do is to write really good material, then hopefully, they'll spend their time doing that (instead of) spending time coming up with ways to graffiti other people's pages."

Furthermore, Dash maintained, his victory proves one thing: That the Web is a meritocracy.

"A page that's read by people instead of robots is going to do better," he said.

Li nk

Dumb Asses Allowed Online

Dumb Asses Allowed Online 03/31/2005 04:50 PM
One of the amusing/annoying things you begin to discover when you write stuff publicly for a living, is that people who don't like what you write seem to think that just because they don't like your opinion, it means that they have a legal claim against you. It's unfortunate, but we've been threatened with at least five lawsuits in the past few years over such things (none ever went beyond the threat stage, once it was pointed out to the person complaining the lack of legal legs they were standing on). However, not everyone is so lucky. There are clear definitions for libel and defamation -- and one judge has just put out a somewhat amusing ruling def ending one site's right to free speech, even if he was being obnoxious. The site in question called some candidates for a local city council election "dumb asses," which the judge noted was an opinion, and impossible to prove false. "The statement that the plaintiff is a 'Dumb Ass,' even first among 'Dumb Asses,' communicates no factual proposition susceptible of proof or refutation." Some of the other assertions made on the page stepped a bit closer to the line, including calling one candidate: "bankrupt, drunk & chewin' tobaccy." The judge noted that the candidate had, indeed, once filed for bankruptcy. He also got the man to admit that, while he was not an alcoholic, he has "consumed alcohol to the point of inebriation." Finally, "he used only the present tense in denying that he chewed tobacco; for all the record shows, he might have chewed it in the very recent past, and might intend to chew it again in the future." Thus, "bankrupt, drunk & chewin' tobaccy" was allowed to stand as not being libel.

"Media Matters names the ten biggest
asses allowed to defecate on-air"

"Media Matters names the ten biggest
asses allowed to defecate on-air" 12/28/2004 09:33 PM

"The New Yorker: Fact"

"The New Yorker: Fact" 05/04/2004 09:00 PM

fact check one two

fact check one two 07/13/2004 08:55 AM
R ead-a-long-a-Fahrenheit-9/11. Michael Moore posts six pages of quotes and links to back up his movie. And since he doesn't mind you downloading it, why not watch it on your computer and fac t-check his ass as you go?

"Fact Sheet"

"Fact Sheet" 04/11/2004 02:38 PM

Fact Sheet

Fact Sheet 04/11/2004 06:56 AM
link you to the Whitehouse's fact sheet about the memo .. White House

whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/04/20040410-5.html
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Fact check, please!

Fact check, please! 09/25/2004 01:35 PM
Someone sent me a link to a grainy video that seems to show a US helicopter pilot blowing up a dozen people in Fallujah. I don't know if this is an unaltered video. I don't know if it in fact shows an incident recently in Fallujah. I don't know if the event it shows is as unjustifiable as it seems to be. Do you?...

Fact Check

Fact Check 01/22/2004 02:12 AM
Fact Check - Holding Politicians Accountable
http://www.FactCheck.org/

A nonpartisan, nonprofit, "consumer advocate" for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. They monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases. Their goal is to apply the best practices of both journalism and scholarship, and to increase public knowledge and understanding. The Annenberg Political Fact Check is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. The APPC was established by publisher and philanthropist Walter Annenberg in 1994 to create a community of scholars within the University of Pennsylvania that would address public policy issues at the local, state, and federal levels. The APPC accepts NO funding from business corporations, labor unions, political parties, lobbying organizations or individuals. It is funded primarily by an endowment from the Annenberg Foundation.

The New Yorker: Fact

The New Yorker: Fact 11/11/2003 04:42 AM
Wesley Clark's Celebrated—and Controversial—military Career (Long, But Gives Insight Into Why So Many Military People Don't Like Clark) .. Peter J. Boyer interviews asshat brasshat Wesley Clark .. New Yorker profile .. lunghissimo pezzo

newyorker.com/fact/content/?031117fa_fact
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In fact I've been caricatured more than
once

In fact I've been caricatured more than
once 03/14/2005 05:09 PM

I even had a doll made of me.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

When Is a Fact a Fiction?

When Is a Fact a Fiction? 08/27/2004 02:11 PM
Microsoft's "Get the Facts" campaign is getting the company in hot water again. This time it's the British Advertising Standards Authority questioning Redmond's claims of superiority over Linux. Microsoft is shrugging off the criticism as much ado about nothing.

Claim vs. Fact

Claim vs. Fact 04/29/2004 02:42 PM
Claims vs. Facts Database
"Conservatives have spent the last 20 years distorting reality and getting away with it. That is about to change. The Center for American Progress has launched this new database project to chart the dishonesty and lies of conservatives â€“ and compare them with the truth. In this database, each conservative quote will be matched against well-documented facts. And we need your help."

Checking it Out

Checking it Out 09/02/2004 07:44 PM

Jay Rosen: Independence From the Press Rocks the Gatekeeper's World. There is a smear campaign launched against John Kerry. But that is not the only thing going on with the Swift Boat Veterans. The press may have knocked down the most serious charges. But the idea of the press as the great adjudicator has also been knocked down.

Jay is onto something important here, and it worries me. The thrust of his argument is that the Swift Boat smear campaign remains successful on despite the mainstream media's exhaustive coverage debunking its credibility. The right-wing mediasphere of blogs, talk radio, Fox and other outlets has given it legs. The explosion of new voices is manifestly a positive development. So, too, is people's willingness to be skeptical of mainstream media's We Are the Purveyors of Truth routine. But the extent to which lies take on currency remains truly scary. It's been this way for a long time, in all media, but the Net works faster. Smears work. Truth struggles to catch up with lies in the short term, even if it does in the end. We should all worry about this.

Checking out

Checking out 08/03/2004 11:11 PM
USA Today Aug 4 2004 3:09AM GMT

Just checking...

Just checking... 05/12/2004 06:53 PM
Just checking if my moblogging still works, after some tweaks to the JSPWiki code base.

On the right, my living room window before washing. On the left, the part of the window that has been washed. Living in the city centre has its downsides as well, and one of them is getting really dirty windows, really fast.

Checking Out PHP-GTK - Again!

Checking Out PHP-GTK - Again! 11/18/2002 08:55 AM

Checking In

Checking In 12/19/2004 03:04 PM

I'd apologize, but for the fact that those numbers are exactly where they need to be right now.

Fact Files Update

Fact Files Update 02/15/2004 01:07 PM
The international Fact Files section, gets an update this weekendwith cover scans of the four preview issues added to the UK/Eire cover scan. Keep an eye out for more additions as we introduce cover scan galleries for Germany, France, Mexico and Japan over the next few weeks.

Pop-up advertising is NOT a fact of life

Pop-up advertising is NOT a fact of life 11/06/2003 08:32 PM
MSNBC: FTC disables pop-up ad firm "Pop-up advertising is a fact of life," said Howard Beales, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. Uhh, no it's not. Use Mozilla. I haven't seen a pop-up in years....

Claim vs. fact, the database

Claim vs. fact, the database 04/28/2004 06:57 PM

MoveOn, moving in after the fact

MoveOn, moving in after the fact 04/12/2005 10:56 AM
After standing on the sidelines when it mattered, MoveOn makes a late play on the bankruptcy bill.

SCO DoS attack: fact or fiction?

SCO DoS attack: fact or fiction? 12/14/2003 03:28 AM
Since SCO first reported the DDoS attack against, some serious doubts have arisen about the veracity of their claim. What's the true story?

Anthrax Fact Finder

Anthrax Fact Finder 12/03/2003 06:07 PM
techtv Dec 3 2003 4:40PM ET

Ask Jeeves Personalizes After The Fact
As Well

Ask Jeeves Personalizes After The Fact
As Well 09/21/2004 12:29 PM
Ask Jeeves apparently planned out a big publicity push for the launch of their new "personalized" feature for their search, but they came a week too late. What's amusing is that at least two different sites in the past week and a half "accidentally" broke the embargo on the news about Ask Jeeves' new personalized features, so you could say this wasn't exactly an Apple-level surprise, but Ask Jeeves is starting to let users store and share their search results. The reason it's a week too late is that, as we mentioned, two search engines announc ed the same thing last week. Still, it's becoming clear that the search engines are trying to solve the biggest problem that everyone always points out in the search busines: how can search engines be sticky? Switching costs are fairly low, but they figure that won't be the case if you have all your bookmarks stored with the search engine. So, now the question is whether or not users really want to be tied to the search engine, who is likely to mine your saved searches for targeted marketing, or would prefer to use an independent bookmarking service like Furl or del.icio.us -- or any other random such system (or hell, just store them locally)? In the meantime, how long will it be until Google launches the same thing... along with 1 gig of storage (of course)?

news that RIAA is not, in fact, above
the law

news that RIAA is not, in fact, above
the law 12/20/2003 05:02 AM
U.S. court hamstrings RIAA supoena process .. US Court Rules against RIAA .. put a stop to the insanity .. RIAA was dealt a blow .. here

cnn.com/2003/LAW/12/19/music.download.reut/index.html
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Checking on .eu names: want the job?

Checking on .eu names: want the job? 02/10/2004 02:48 AM
Oh, and does anyone fancy being the Maltese registrar?

Checking out Infopath

Checking out Infopath 03/12/2003 01:48 PM

Mark Baker: This is such a perfectly RESTful system

I'm pleased to see such a ringing endorsement by Mark Baker of XML Web Services.  Unfortunately, we still have a semantic gap where Mark uses the terms "browser" and "web services" in such a limited way, but we can overlook that for now.

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Fact checking our own asses

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