I think I get it, now. Journalism has its own "Blackstone's Ratio". Blackstone said in the 1700s that we should let 10 guilty men go free, rather than one innocent man be punished. We need people to trust the State, they've got to believe the State REALLY bends over backwards to "do no harm", preferring 10 sins of omission to one sin of commission.
The Journalist's Blackstone's Ratio is that unequal situations must be treated with "both sides" journalism, (like "clashed" and "exchanged fire" and "tit-for-tat attacks" in this case) until the ratio is at least 10:1. When Israel began to exceed 10:1 kill ratios two wars ago, the coverage started to change. With this last one, the ratio hit 227:12 for humans and 64:2 for children, the coverage is now changing rapidly.
This essay is basically a demand that coverage remain both-sides-y, in reply to a letter that said "come on, at this ratio, it's just a massive beating by one side, with the other ineffectually flailing at them out of pride".
The journalists here have emitted over 2300 words of lawyerly defense, but most of the population only retains 25-words-or-less on most issues, a little later. (What were the causes of the 2014 conflict? Yeah.)
They aren't going to remember your 2300 words, guys. They're going to remember that it was something like 20:1. And 32:1 for children. Public opinion will shift according to that, not according to your lawyering.
I've been fond of using "Wokestani" in the last few years but "Woko Haram" may just replace it. Gold.
Just wanted to say thank you for not signing that letter. It gives some of us who have lost all trust in main stream media something to hang on to.
Lastly, we will note that this has been yet another week in which Cancel Culture ran amok.
Is anyone surprised that the right has weaponised this?
I think I get it, now. Journalism has its own "Blackstone's Ratio". Blackstone said in the 1700s that we should let 10 guilty men go free, rather than one innocent man be punished. We need people to trust the State, they've got to believe the State REALLY bends over backwards to "do no harm", preferring 10 sins of omission to one sin of commission.
The Journalist's Blackstone's Ratio is that unequal situations must be treated with "both sides" journalism, (like "clashed" and "exchanged fire" and "tit-for-tat attacks" in this case) until the ratio is at least 10:1. When Israel began to exceed 10:1 kill ratios two wars ago, the coverage started to change. With this last one, the ratio hit 227:12 for humans and 64:2 for children, the coverage is now changing rapidly.
This essay is basically a demand that coverage remain both-sides-y, in reply to a letter that said "come on, at this ratio, it's just a massive beating by one side, with the other ineffectually flailing at them out of pride".
The journalists here have emitted over 2300 words of lawyerly defense, but most of the population only retains 25-words-or-less on most issues, a little later. (What were the causes of the 2014 conflict? Yeah.)
They aren't going to remember your 2300 words, guys. They're going to remember that it was something like 20:1. And 32:1 for children. Public opinion will shift according to that, not according to your lawyering.