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Societal value != journalistic value. And in fact, even if there's a net negative societal value that doesn't mean it shouldn't be around. Nate silver didn't e
by alfalfasprout 3y ago
Societal value != journalistic value. And in fact, even if there's a net negative societal value that doesn't mean it shouldn't be around.
Nate silver didn't exactly invent political polling either. That's doing a disservice to the enormous time and money invested in polling over several decades of elections (and the learnings when things didn't go correctly). Polling will be around regardless.
- Wowfunhappy 3y ago> Societal value != journalistic value That's fair. I was responding to ways I've heard Nate Silver talk about the model and polling in general in e.g. podcasts, which is why I've had the question floating around in my mind. But you're right, that's not quite what he wrote here. > And in fact, even if there's a net negative societal value that doesn't mean it shouldn't be around. To be clear: I don't mean to imply that FiveThirtyEight shouldn't exist. There's lots of things which serve a human desire but aren't necessarily a social good. Slot machines for example.
- Kye 3y agoThe big value of polls is a backup check for discrepancies. A major difference between final polls and polls leading up to the election could be innocent (like unexpected demographics), but it could hint at voter suppression or even completely innocent issues with the voting systems. Paired with exit polling, there's enough information to find answers.