4 ms·

Evaluating the truthiness of journalism today forces me to distrust history as a whole. Whatever the history books say happened is what didn't happen.

stronglikedan 3y ago
History is written by the winners.
- vibrio 3y ago
  Except with the Goths. They did some winning, but it seems like they didn't do much writing.
anonymouskimmer 3y ago
There are people who make their livelihood evaluating journalistic sources. I'd personally suggest seeking out factual news sources over editorialized news and straight opinion articles masquerading as news. Even those will have their biases on what to publish, but those biases will often be far more evident (if not overtly spelled out). Ad Fontes' Media Bias Chart is a decent starting point. Various statistics gathering websites are other decent sources.
- incomingpain 3y ago
  >There are people who make their livelihood evaluating journalistic sources. I'd personally suggest seeking out factual news sources over editorialized news and straight opinion articles masquerading as news. Even those will have their biases on what to publish, but those biases will often be far more evident (if not overtly spelled out). Bias isn't exactly truthiness. You can be fantasticly unbiased and still be wrong. I have done what you recommend as well, quite useful for the last half decade.
  - anonymouskimmer 3y ago
    Everyone can be wrong. This should be a default assumption for any information from any source. Even automated systems can have faults or systemic errors.
gwbas1c 3y ago
Well, no history book is 100% accurate. But, I wouldn't throw out the baby with the bath water here. It's important to use critical reading skills, seek out multiple sources, and understand the context of the writer and target audience.
- incomingpain 3y ago
  I totally agree and I too did this a long time, but no, the last ~5 years following this advice can only result in throwing them all out. There is no baby in the bath water.
vibrio 3y ago
There is a saying with economists/financial forecasters: no model is correct, but some are useful. It's not a problem driven by journalism. There is very little (interesting or useful) fact in history, it is mostly opinion. Journalists/historians/politicians contribute to that.

stronglikedan 3y ago

History is written by the winners.

vibrio 3y ago
Except with the Goths. They did some winning, but it seems like they didn't do much writing.

anonymouskimmer 3y ago

There are people who make their livelihood evaluating journalistic sources. I'd personally suggest seeking out factual news sources over editorialized news and straight opinion articles masquerading as news. Even those will have their biases on what to publish, but those biases will often be far more evident (if not overtly spelled out). Ad Fontes' Media Bias Chart is a decent starting point. Various statistics gathering websites are other decent sources.

incomingpain 3y ago
>There are people who make their livelihood evaluating journalistic sources. I'd personally suggest seeking out factual news sources over editorialized news and straight opinion articles masquerading as news. Even those will have their biases on what to publish, but those biases will often be far more evident (if not overtly spelled out). Bias isn't exactly truthiness. You can be fantasticly unbiased and still be wrong. I have done what you recommend as well, quite useful for the last half decade.
- anonymouskimmer 3y ago
  Everyone can be wrong. This should be a default assumption for any information from any source. Even automated systems can have faults or systemic errors.

gwbas1c 3y ago

Well, no history book is 100% accurate. But, I wouldn't throw out the baby with the bath water here. It's important to use critical reading skills, seek out multiple sources, and understand the context of the writer and target audience.

incomingpain 3y ago
I totally agree and I too did this a long time, but no, the last ~5 years following this advice can only result in throwing them all out. There is no baby in the bath water.

vibrio 3y ago

There is a saying with economists/financial forecasters: no model is correct, but some are useful. It's not a problem driven by journalism. There is very little (interesting or useful) fact in history, it is mostly opinion. Journalists/historians/politicians contribute to that.