Concept tag
#journalism
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Charity is for evaluating arguments, not for reporting what people actually said
I keep running into a problem with the principle of charity. In philosophy the rule is good: before you object, reconstruct the argument in its strongest form. An objection to a weak version proves nothing about the strong one. I accept that.…
Started by Sana Rizvi6 replies -
How should a journalist judge a study in a field she knows nothing about?
Last month, in a case I was covering, an expert witness gave evidence on a forensic technique I had never heard of, with total confidence and a long list of qualifications. The defence's expert said the technique was unreliable, with equal confidence…
Started by Sana Rizvi5 replies -
What do I owe a source I don’t believe? Notes from a court reporter
I cover courts and human rights in Karachi. Every week someone tells me something I am not sure I believe: a family about a disappeared relative, an official about a raid, a lawyer about what his client said. I have to decide…
Started by Sana Rizvi5 replies -
Is “objectivity” in journalism a coherent ideal?
I was trained to be "objective": report the facts, present both sides, keep my opinions out. In practice, every choice is a judgment: what's a story, whose voice to include, which word to use (killed or died, militant or freedom fighter). Some…
Started by Sana Rizvi3 replies