[ExI] thiel goes south

[spike]

-----Original Message-----
From: extropy-chat [mailto:extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org] On Behalf Of Giulio Prisco
Sent: Saturday, September 02, 2017 12:16 AM
To: ExI chat list <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org>
Subject: Re: [ExI] thiel goes south

Good article:

http://reason.com/blog/2017/09/01/vaccines-peter-thiel-and-a-journalistic


Giulio, thanks, this is the reason I read Reason rather than Daily Beast.

In partial defense of news agencies, the kind of hit piece on Thiel they put in Beast sells ads, and ads are how news agencies stay in business.  I expect the mainstream will pound Thiel without mercy for his having spoken at the Republican convention (How could Theil sell out?  He's gay! they bleated.)  OK so Thiel-bashing sells.  He is the only openly-gay guy you will ever see savaged in the mainstream press.  So, they sell it.

Compare the typical article in Reason to any other news/analysis source I know of.  Compare for even-handed balance, for excellent intellectual content, for sanity, anything that is important to you, everything that is important to me.

If I were one of the participants in Thiel's trial and read that Beast article I too would be writing about this journalistic malpractice, where the Beast was far more interested in attacking the rich guy, Thiel, than in telling the truth.  These trials were conducted with fully informed consenting volunteers and it worked.

A comment by Daily Beast's John Avlon says it all:  "Our commitment is to be nonpartisan but not neutral...We're going to hit both sides where appropriate. We're not going to toe any partisan line."

OK they will hit both sides he says, without realizing there are more than two sides.  He supposes the other sides don't count?  Or assumes he will hit them always?

Flight of fancy for the Daily Beast: what if... one of the two sides (or some other side) does something good?  Could that ever happen?  Will the Beast hit them anyway?

This is a case where a wealthy Libertarian did a good thing.  The press has no idea how to handle it.  That doesn't sell ads.  It doesn't fit the script.

Way to go Peter.  May you live forever.

spike