• Troy@lemmy.ca
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    4 months ago

    I’m saying you should do your own research

    This is the calling card slogan of someone who’s bought into reality rejection…

    The educated world is built on a web of trust whereupon subject matter experts must necessarily yield to others when something is outside of their realm of expertise. I am a planetary scientist and geophysicist and spent nearly a decade studying. I am constantly learning things in my own field, and by no means do I have a full grasp on every detail. But I can call out BS when someone talks about orbital mechanics or earthquakes or whatever. I do not, however, know anything about the digestive tract of my cat and yield to the veterinarian who has spent their whole life becoming an expert on these sorts of things. I don’t argue with the vet that I’ve done my own research (watched a few youtube videos) and thus am qualified to disagree with them. Because objectively I know less than them on that subject and no cursory review will solve my ignorance.

    When rating the bias of news organizations, what qualifications do you have so that you can do your own research? Do you have fundamental knowledge of the journalistic process? Is the media source covering a topic you are a subject matter expert in? Or are you just lashing out because it doesn’t vibe with your worldview?

    • helenslunch@feddit.nl
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      4 months ago

      reality rejection…

      I am not rejecting reality, this is reality.

      The educated world is built on a web of trust

      What trust? What entity hasn’t violated the trust of their constituents on a regular basis?

      I am constantly learning things in my own field, and by no means do I have a full grasp on every detail. But I can call out BS when someone talks about orbital mechanics or earthquakes or whatever.

      Do you have fundamental knowledge of the journalistic process?

      So you don’t need “fundamental knowledge of the journalistic process” to call BS on orbital mechanics but I need to when auditing report on my expert subject matter? You’ve never seen blanket inaccuracies across a web of sources about a topic you understand that could have been held off by the smallest modicum of research? Because I sure as shit have, many times. That’s why I don’t trust them. Is there any reason I should I take them at their word when it’s a much more complex topic that I don’t fully understand?

      You haven’t watched independent news sources that collect all of the information die off while publications that constantly publish clickbait, ragebait, and political misinformation and disinformation thrive?

      Or are you just lashing out because it doesn’t vibe with your worldview?

      Yeah, the personal insults are really driving your point home, keep it up.