6 ms·

John Broder does have an affinity for writing articles about big oil. I don't exactly want to assume he was paid under the table to denounce electric cars, but

John Broder does have an affinity for writing articles about big oil. I don't exactly want to assume he was paid under the table to denounce electric cars, but it's odd for a writer to have 90% of their articles being related to oil: http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/b/john_m_broder/index.html http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/peopl... On Feb 8, 4 days before the controversial tesla article, he wrote one about how poorly the Chevrolet Volt & Ford Transit performed. I think he already decided on the tone of the article before he drove the Tesla. His other articles about oil drilling claim that they help with job creation... you be the judge.

twoodfin 14y ago
How is that odd? Energy issues are his beat.
- CapitalistCartr 14y ago
  Energy is more than Oil, gasoline, and internal combustion engines. A failure to recognize that by a NYT reporter is odd.
  - twoodfin 14y ago
    Huh? He writes about many, many other energy-related topics. Just page through his stories. Climate, natural gas, EPA regulations, wind tax credits ... http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/b/john_m_broder/index.html http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/peopl... That this guy could be repeatedly accused here of being an industry shill reflects much more poorly on hn than on him.
    - foobarqux 14y ago
      Do those articles have a negative or positive sentiment for the large incumbent industries like oil?
Nrsolis 14y ago
I've had two experiences with the press. I have many friends who have also had far more interaction with the press than I have. I will tell you this: Both times I made it into the paper, my feeling while giving the interview was that the reporter was writing the story their way despite what I was saying. I was asked leading questions, questions that asked me to come down on one side or another of a complex issue. I was asked repeatedly the same question in different ways to elicit a response that would support a conclusion I didn't agree with. My friends confirmed my suspicions when they saw the articles that were written. If you dont think that a significant percentage of the articles you read in the paper are pushing a particular viewpoint despite contrary evidence, I'd like a little of what you are smoking. Just in case you were asking, one of the reporters I'm talking about works for the New York Times. This is the article I was talking about: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/18/national/18harvard.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/18/national/18harvard.html?pa...
protomyth 14y ago
> His other articles about oil drilling claim that they help with job creation... you be the judge. Since I live in ND, we have lots of oil drilling going on, and the Dec 2012 unemployment rate was 3.2% compared to the national rate of 7.8%; I would find that a factually true statement.
- roc 14y ago
  And how's that scale when we're talking about a population larger than 700k residents? Just because something is factually true in a narrow context does not mean it remains factually true when abstracted to a generality.
  - protomyth 14y ago
    Texas seems to be doing fine too and they have a bit of a population. The line you quoted is factual. Oil employees a lot of people and generates a lot of money.
    - niggler 14y ago
      It's sad to see any factual criticism of electric vehicles being interpreted as support of big oil. It's not a religion!
    - roc 14y ago
      Again, "a lot" is a statement that is only true in context. And particularly given that Oil's ability to employ is completely dependent upon geological formations that no-one has any control over, it's disingenuous to try to generalize it beyond the context where it's true.
      - protomyth 14y ago
        Farming is geographically limited and it is a rather large employer in the US. Oil has a effect on more industries than just energy. Tesla would not be able to build their cars with oil products. It's disingenuous to not look at actual employment numbers and reach of industry when trying to say something factual isn't.
smackfu 14y ago
>he wrote one about how poorly the Chevrolet Volt & Ford Transit performed Is the claim that they are actually doing very well, and he was incorrect in his article? Or that he is biased merely for writing an article based on negative facts?
- dllthomas 14y ago
  The notion was that a pattern of articles that tend to support the same group should raise our estimate of a bias in favor of that group. All of them could be perfectly accurate, incidentally - consider a journalist who investigates 100 stories for every one he publishes and only publishes those that are favorable; while none of the articles would contain actual falsehoods, clearly this is a bias. Whether that's the case here is a much deeper question that I can't answer from my extremely limited skimming of the available media and this thread.

twoodfin 14y ago

How is that odd? Energy issues are his beat.

CapitalistCartr 14y ago
Energy is more than Oil, gasoline, and internal combustion engines. A failure to recognize that by a NYT reporter is odd.
- twoodfin 14y ago
  Huh? He writes about many, many other energy-related topics. Just page through his stories. Climate, natural gas, EPA regulations, wind tax credits ... http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/b/john_m_broder/index.html http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/peopl... That this guy could be repeatedly accused here of being an industry shill reflects much more poorly on hn than on him.
  - foobarqux 14y ago
    Do those articles have a negative or positive sentiment for the large incumbent industries like oil?

Nrsolis 14y ago

I've had two experiences with the press. I have many friends who have also had far more interaction with the press than I have. I will tell you this: Both times I made it into the paper, my feeling while giving the interview was that the reporter was writing the story their way despite what I was saying. I was asked leading questions, questions that asked me to come down on one side or another of a complex issue. I was asked repeatedly the same question in different ways to elicit a response that would support a conclusion I didn't agree with. My friends confirmed my suspicions when they saw the articles that were written. If you dont think that a significant percentage of the articles you read in the paper are pushing a particular viewpoint despite contrary evidence, I'd like a little of what you are smoking. Just in case you were asking, one of the reporters I'm talking about works for the New York Times. This is the article I was talking about: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/18/national/18harvard.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/18/national/18harvard.html?pa...

protomyth 14y ago

> His other articles about oil drilling claim that they help with job creation... you be the judge. Since I live in ND, we have lots of oil drilling going on, and the Dec 2012 unemployment rate was 3.2% compared to the national rate of 7.8%; I would find that a factually true statement.

roc 14y ago
And how's that scale when we're talking about a population larger than 700k residents? Just because something is factually true in a narrow context does not mean it remains factually true when abstracted to a generality.
- protomyth 14y ago
  Texas seems to be doing fine too and they have a bit of a population. The line you quoted is factual. Oil employees a lot of people and generates a lot of money.
  - niggler 14y ago
    It's sad to see any factual criticism of electric vehicles being interpreted as support of big oil. It's not a religion!
  - roc 14y ago
    Again, "a lot" is a statement that is only true in context. And particularly given that Oil's ability to employ is completely dependent upon geological formations that no-one has any control over, it's disingenuous to try to generalize it beyond the context where it's true.
    - protomyth 14y ago
      Farming is geographically limited and it is a rather large employer in the US. Oil has a effect on more industries than just energy. Tesla would not be able to build their cars with oil products. It's disingenuous to not look at actual employment numbers and reach of industry when trying to say something factual isn't.

smackfu 14y ago

>he wrote one about how poorly the Chevrolet Volt & Ford Transit performed Is the claim that they are actually doing very well, and he was incorrect in his article? Or that he is biased merely for writing an article based on negative facts?

dllthomas 14y ago
The notion was that a pattern of articles that tend to support the same group should raise our estimate of a bias in favor of that group. All of them could be perfectly accurate, incidentally - consider a journalist who investigates 100 stories for every one he publishes and only publishes those that are favorable; while none of the articles would contain actual falsehoods, clearly this is a bias. Whether that's the case here is a much deeper question that I can't answer from my extremely limited skimming of the available media and this thread.