Comments on: Counterparties http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2011/07/08/counterparties-393/ A slice of lime in the soda Thu, 20 Jun 2013 02:11:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: TGGP http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2011/07/08/counterparties-393/comment-page-1/#comment-28334 TGGP Fri, 08 Jul 2011 16:05:10 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/?p=8903#comment-28334 Corruption is one thing, but "extreme" is subjective. Corruption is one thing, but “extreme” is subjective.

]]> By: RalfW http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2011/07/08/counterparties-393/comment-page-1/#comment-28311 RalfW Fri, 08 Jul 2011 13:49:41 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/?p=8903#comment-28311 This quote is a bit reductionist but gets to the nub of why the current mode of balanced and unbiased coverage (ahem) is flawed: "A reporter is expected to avoid taking sides. This is how one side wins. There is a false equivalency in political reporting. If one party is corrupt or extreme, the reporter must show that both parties are corrupt or extreme; otherwise he is charged with bias. This false equivalency rewards extremism. Why be moderate when extremism has more leverage?" --Eric Hanson, writing a commentary at Minnesota Public Radio today. This quote is a bit reductionist but gets to the nub of why the current mode of balanced and unbiased coverage (ahem) is flawed:
“A reporter is expected to avoid taking sides. This is how one side wins. There is a false equivalency in political reporting. If one party is corrupt or extreme, the reporter must show that both parties are corrupt or extreme; otherwise he is charged with bias. This false equivalency rewards extremism. Why be moderate when extremism has more leverage?”
–Eric Hanson, writing a commentary at Minnesota Public Radio today.

]]> By: dWj http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2011/07/08/counterparties-393/comment-page-1/#comment-28309 dWj Fri, 08 Jul 2011 13:40:45 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/?p=8903#comment-28309 AP is far from the only media organization with a rule like this -- see the Juan Williams case, for example -- but it's a little bit silly. Journalists all have their biases and worldviews; I'd rather they be out in the open, instead of pretending they don't exist. Let them develop a reputation for fairly covering stories on which they have strong feelings; if an AP reporter fails to keep personal opinions out of an AP story, then of course you apply some sort of institutional controls. AP is far from the only media organization with a rule like this — see the Juan Williams case, for example — but it’s a little bit silly. Journalists all have their biases and worldviews; I’d rather they be out in the open, instead of pretending they don’t exist. Let them develop a reputation for fairly covering stories on which they have strong feelings; if an AP reporter fails to keep personal opinions out of an AP story, then of course you apply some sort of institutional controls.

]]> By: edreed http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2011/07/08/counterparties-393/comment-page-1/#comment-28307 edreed Fri, 08 Jul 2011 11:14:50 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/?p=8903#comment-28307 Namibia hasn't found massive amounts of oil. There's the hope there may be but drilling is really only starting next year. Thus far, there's been very little drilling and a lot of seismic - and a lot of high hopes. Also, there are no guarantees that if companies drill and find hydrocarbons that it will be oil, it may be gas, as seen at Kudu and, apparently, Kunene. Namibia hasn’t found massive amounts of oil. There’s the hope there may be but drilling is really only starting next year. Thus far, there’s been very little drilling and a lot of seismic – and a lot of high hopes.

Also, there are no guarantees that if companies drill and find hydrocarbons that it will be oil, it may be gas, as seen at Kudu and, apparently, Kunene.

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