I mean, yeah.
Also probably extremely unqualified to be one.
We really should get way more research methodology stuff into school curriculums from much earlier.
Or maybe we require large newspapers and other single owner/large audience influencers to cite sources if they make claims and make them liable if it turns out to be false… because we‘re unable to read our medications instructions or the terms of the products we use.
I‘m not against education. But i would like to hold people who make claims accountable additionally to enabling the public to do research.
Or maybe we require large newspapers and other single owner/large audience influencers to cite sources if they make claims and make them liable if it turns out to be false… […]
Well, defamation laws do exist [1]. Other than things like that, I think one should be very careful with such times of laws as, imo, they begin encroaching rather rapidly on freedom of speech.
References
- “Defamation”. Wikipedia. Published: 2024-12-09T15:41Z. Accessed: 2024-12-11T07:02Z. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defamation#Laws_by_jurisdiction.
- §“Laws by jurisdiction”.
Defamation is very far away from our current situation. Europe is on the correct path imo in holding those who profit from disinformation accountable.
There should be no right to abuse others verbally or spread disinformation. Of course you can always use this in bad faith as a government but that is what we have assasins for.
[…] that is what we have assasins for.
Imo, this isn’t sustainable in a stable, and civil society.
That is correct. It neither needs to be nor is a society that allows abuse of power „civil“.
This new development showed that the ever going „we win, you lose, and you‘ll be happy about it“ does in fact have an antidote, although a horrific and regrettable one.
[…] the ever going „we win, you lose, and you‘ll be happy about it“ does in fact have an antidote […]
I would argue that the antidote is compassion.
In theory, yes. But thats not how social systems work. If you build a selfsustaining cycle of abuse held in place by dopamine inducing mechanics like easy to consume media you can manipulate people to do whatever you like, see the current shift to fascism. Nobody with a hint of compassion would vote for a fascist, hell nobody with an ounce of self interest would do that but here we are. Its like asking drug addicts to just not use the stuff. Not how humans work.
- “Defamation”. Wikipedia. Published: 2024-12-09T15:41Z. Accessed: 2024-12-11T07:02Z. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defamation#Laws_by_jurisdiction.
Also probably extremely unqualified to be one.
Are you saying that I’m unqualified to be a journalist?
Well, I don’t know you personally. I’m saying anybody who has to fact-check the uncited claims made in news articles, and thus is an acting journalist is statistically very likely to be extremely unqualified for the job.
Which explains a lot of how the 21st century is going, honestly.
[…] I’m saying anybody who has to fact-check the uncited claims made in news articles, and thus is an acting journalist is statistically very likely to be extremely unqualified for the job. […]
What, in your opinion, would determine if someone is qualified to fact check a news article? Do you have criteria?
Like I said, we should get research methods taught in school from very early on. For one thing, understanding what even counts as a source is not a trivial problem, let alone an independent source, let alone a credible independent source.
There’s the mechanics of sourcing things (from home and on a computer, I presume we don’t want every private citizen to be making phone calls to verify every claim they come across in social media), a basic understanding of archival and how to get access to it and either a light understanding of the subject matter or how to get access to somebody who has it.
There’s a reason it’s supposed to be a full time job, but you can definitely teach kids enough of the basics to both assess the quality of what they come across and how to mitigate the worst of it. In all seriousness.
[…] There’s a reason it’s supposed to be a full time job […]
For clarity, by “it” are you referring to journalism?
I’m assuming you’re in a microblogging flavor of federation and that’s why this is broken down into a bunch of posts?
Yes, I’m referring to journalism.
Yes, I’m referring to journalism.
Okay, well I don’t exactly follow the relevance of your claim that journalism can be practiced full-time. I also don’t exactly follow the usage of your language “supposed to”. Imo, one needn’t be a full-time journalist to practice journalism.
[…] I presume we don’t want every private citizen to be making phone calls to verify every claim they come across in social media […]
Can you clarify exactly what you are referring to here?
Well, a journalist would often be expected to get in touch with a source directly, which is not feasible if we’re all doing it.
I’ll grant you, it very often doesn’t happen, but still.
Well, a journalist would often be expected to get in touch with a source directly, which is not feasible if we’re all doing it.
Are you saying that journalism only deals in novel information?
Yes. An unpaid one.
[…] An unpaid one.
Is that consequential?
It is… if you don’t have the time or energy to do all that fact-checking because you have to work yourself to the bone just to afford rent.
I just don’t follow what your point is. Could you elaborate?
No. Because a) you don’t have to and b) no one is paying you
[…] no one is paying you […]
Is that necessary…?
Yes. Journalist is a job. If you aren’t getting paid you aren’t one. You aren’t a chef for cooking at home for yourself lmao
Imo, this is just an argument of definitions. For example, Merriam-Webster’s definition doesn’t require one to be paid in order for them to be called a journalist [1[2]]. Whether a one must be paid in order to call themself a chef, however, seems to depend on the definition of “proffesional” [3] and perhaps “profession” [4], neither of which explicitly require one to be paid [4][5].
References
- “journalist”. Merriam-Webster. Accessed: 2025-02-04T00:51Z. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/journalist.
- §“noun”.
- §“noun”.
- “journalism”. Merriam-Webster. Accessed: 2025-02-04T01:01Z. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/journalism.
- §“noun”.
- §“noun”.
- “chef”. Merriam-Webster. Accessed: 2025-02-04T01:02Z. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chef.
- §“noun”.
- §“noun”.
- “professional”. Merriam-Webster. Accessed: 2025-02-04T01:04Z. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/professional.
- §“noun”.
- §“noun”.
- “profession”. Merriam-Webster. Accessed: 2025-02-04T01:09Z. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/profession.
- §“noun”.
- §“noun”.
- “journalist”. Merriam-Webster. Accessed: 2025-02-04T00:51Z. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/journalist.
