I’ve been astounded to see the backlash, mostly from Republicans, against the idea of journalists fact-checking politicians’ statements. You can argue about what is true. But there is truth. There are facts. If you’ve given up on that, your political opinions are worthless (and please don’t vote). Trump’s problems with fact-checking From The Washington Post,…
In an article by Tal Kopan published today, The Boston Globe asks “Why are election polls all over the place, and which should you pay attention to?” Here’s the lede: WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris leads Donald Trump by 3 percentage points in Michigan. Or maybe it’s by 1 point. Or maybe Trump leads by 2. Or 4. It…
I’ve written before about Boston Globe sportswriter Christopher L. Gasper’s penchant for mixed metaphors, as a way to illustrate how metaphor overload can interrupt the reader’s trance that makes great writing work. But things here in New England pro football have gotten desperate. The New England Patriots, not to put too fine a point on…
No matter what poll-based content you read, you are not just reviewing what the data show. You are reading data, corrected for bias, weighted for lack of representation, scored for bias, aggregated, and then manipulated by a model. Each of these “corrections” is a human decision. These models are valuable, but they do not represent…
I’ve seen so much weirdly terrible writing in print that I’m jaded. But even so, every once in a while, I see a passage that leaves me unexpectedly dizzy and nauseated. Here are the headline and lede of a Boston Globe story by Alex Speier on the state of the Red Sox pitchers: Once again,…
What is clickbait? Simply put, it is a headline or graphic designed to generate interest that leads to a story or article that does not deliver the promised content. If the headline is “Disney+ cancels a Star Wars show” then the article needs to tell you what show is being cancelled. Yes, it’s designed to…
Newsletter 60. Why our culture fetishizes the new and what to do about. Plus, little free libraries take on book bans, the FTC bans fake reviews, why everyone should write a book proposal, three people to follow, and three books to read. Change is Seductive, But It Creates Cognitive Conflict I want you to think…
Newsletter 59. Why rules without reasons are dumb. Plus, how now to support journalism, tips for book titles, three people to follow, and three books to read. Never impose a rule without sharing a reason All experts become familiar with the rules that apply in their area of expertise. Typically, they try to teach others…
Honestly, you’re going to have vote for president in about 100 days. So stop credulously sharing crap that doesn’t matter. There’s an account circulating about the masturbatory practices of Trump’s vice presidential candidate JD Vance, supposedly documented in his book Hillbilly Elegy. There are two problems with that. It’s false. It’s not in the book….