Mathew's comments - Latest Comments in HuffPo wants to be a newspaper

Re: HuffPo wants to be a newspaper

shafqat — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 18:46:35 -0000

Agreed. False objectivity in the name of balance is dangerous. Often, that leads to distortion of the truth, which is not only a barrier to understanding, but a threat to democracy.

Re: HuffPo wants to be a newspaper

mathewi — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 18:37:06 -0000

Thanks for the comment, Shafqat. I actually think Arianna and I are
both right :-) I think the point she's making is that in some cases, a
false objectivity is actually a barrier to understanding, and strong
opinion can be a good solution. But I don't think she would be opposed
to fairness or balance, which I think is a slightly different thing.

Re: HuffPo wants to be a newspaper

shafqat — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 18:30:49 -0000

Nice post. I found it quite interesting that you did exactly what Arianna was calling out: presenting both sides of the story without taking a delilberate stance. I don't necessarily agree that her propsal for a new kind of media (one that does not present objectivity) is correct. But the fact that you presented her views and then linked to an equally opposing view was a reflection of how journalism works today. Is that kind of neutrality a bad thing? Quite the opposite - you're presenting the facts and the necessary information, I can work out an opinion.