4 ms·

I don't think he has a leaning one way or the other - he tries to be unbiased, and arrive at data-driven conclusions. What have you seen from Nate that makes hi

by sxcurry 14y ago

I don't think he has a leaning one way or the other - he tries to be unbiased, and arrive at data-driven conclusions. What have you seen from Nate that makes him seem a "biased liberal" to you? I'd be very interested to know. Also, we'll see in about a month how good his meta-analysis is.

andrewljohnson 14y ago
I can't put a finger on it, but you know which way he hopes things go, and I think that shows through, despite his attempts to stay unbiased, and despite the NYT style guide. I think a TV news anchor probably gives away his bias with body language too. I like to tell myself that too, so I regard his work with at least a little skepticism, even though I gobble it up and bet on it.
tptacek 14y ago
He leans Democratic and has said so on more than one occasion. He supported Obama in '08. One gets the impression that his professional reputation is more important than his ideological affiliation, and so I find him pretty credible.
- waterlesscloud 14y ago
  He states straight out in his FAQ that he supports Obama. "What is your political affiliation? My state has non-partisan registration, so I am not registered as anything. I vote for Democratic candidates the majority of the time (though by no means always). This year, I have been a supporter of Barack Obama." And the next question - "Are your results biased toward your preferred candidates? I hope not, but that is for you to decide. I have tried to disclose as much about my methodology as possible."
  - tptacek 14y ago
    That's from 2008, right? FiveThirtyEight.com isn't his site anymore.
    - waterlesscloud 14y ago
      Sure, but I'm having a hard time imagining the answer to either question has changed. If it had, I'm sure he's capable of having that information removed from a post bearing his name.
      - tptacek 14y ago
        Lots of people who supported Obama in 2008 no longer do. Meanwhile, why are you so sure he'd update a FAQ entry on a site he no longer maintains?
        waterlesscloud 14y ago
        His name is right there on the FAQ. He's a media figure, of at least some note, who makes his living predicting political outcomes. If he had changed his stand, he would have the information removed from something bearing his name. It has direct impact on perception about his work. He'd have it changed.
        tptacek 14y ago
        Disagree; you can't even get to www.fivethirtyeight.com anymore (it redirects to NYT) and Silver is pretty transparent; I think if that affiliation was dependable information, it'd be somewhere in the masthead of his blog. It's not important either way. (For what it's worth: I still support Obama).
kmfrk 14y ago
I don't really see why it's wrong that Nate has political opinions. The alternative is Jim Lehrer who values his "objectivity" so much that he doesn't even vote at elections. Sometimes, facts favour liberals, sometimes they don't.
- tptacek 14y ago
  Who said it was wrong for Silver to have opinions? The overrating of objectivity has been a hobbyhorse of Jack Shafer's for awhile, and he can be fun to read; here, for instance: http://blogs.reuters.com/jackshafer/2011/09/20/media-bias-give-me-more-please/ http://blogs.reuters.com/jackshafer/2011/09/20/media-bias-gi...
mtgx 14y ago
Must be because "reality has a liberal bias".
- MartinCron 14y ago
  I wonder if I am the only liberal who hates this phrase?

by sxcurry 14y ago

andrewljohnson 14y ago

I can't put a finger on it, but you know which way he hopes things go, and I think that shows through, despite his attempts to stay unbiased, and despite the NYT style guide. I think a TV news anchor probably gives away his bias with body language too. I like to tell myself that too, so I regard his work with at least a little skepticism, even though I gobble it up and bet on it.

tptacek 14y ago

He leans Democratic and has said so on more than one occasion. He supported Obama in '08. One gets the impression that his professional reputation is more important than his ideological affiliation, and so I find him pretty credible.

waterlesscloud 14y ago
He states straight out in his FAQ that he supports Obama. "What is your political affiliation? My state has non-partisan registration, so I am not registered as anything. I vote for Democratic candidates the majority of the time (though by no means always). This year, I have been a supporter of Barack Obama." And the next question - "Are your results biased toward your preferred candidates? I hope not, but that is for you to decide. I have tried to disclose as much about my methodology as possible."
- tptacek 14y ago
  That's from 2008, right? FiveThirtyEight.com isn't his site anymore.
  - waterlesscloud 14y ago
    Sure, but I'm having a hard time imagining the answer to either question has changed. If it had, I'm sure he's capable of having that information removed from a post bearing his name.
    - tptacek 14y ago
      Lots of people who supported Obama in 2008 no longer do. Meanwhile, why are you so sure he'd update a FAQ entry on a site he no longer maintains?
      - waterlesscloud 14y ago
        His name is right there on the FAQ. He's a media figure, of at least some note, who makes his living predicting political outcomes. If he had changed his stand, he would have the information removed from something bearing his name. It has direct impact on perception about his work. He'd have it changed.
        tptacek 14y ago
        Disagree; you can't even get to www.fivethirtyeight.com anymore (it redirects to NYT) and Silver is pretty transparent; I think if that affiliation was dependable information, it'd be somewhere in the masthead of his blog. It's not important either way. (For what it's worth: I still support Obama).

kmfrk 14y ago

I don't really see why it's wrong that Nate has political opinions. The alternative is Jim Lehrer who values his "objectivity" so much that he doesn't even vote at elections. Sometimes, facts favour liberals, sometimes they don't.

tptacek 14y ago
Who said it was wrong for Silver to have opinions? The overrating of objectivity has been a hobbyhorse of Jack Shafer's for awhile, and he can be fun to read; here, for instance: http://blogs.reuters.com/jackshafer/2011/09/20/media-bias-give-me-more-please/ http://blogs.reuters.com/jackshafer/2011/09/20/media-bias-gi...

mtgx 14y ago

Must be because "reality has a liberal bias".

MartinCron 14y ago
I wonder if I am the only liberal who hates this phrase?