[Foundation-l] LA Times article / Advertising in Wikipedia

[David Goodman]

Objective in the sense of non-prejudiced, yes. Objective in the sense
of accurate? obviously not. They are an excellent example of the
results of  using our very inadequate criteria. RS has recently had a
discussion of the problem of dealing with apparently authoritative
sources that can be shown to be erroneous.  we keep quoting
"verifiability not truth," as if it were something to be proud of, not
a frank admission of our limitations.
Its like the assertion there all peer-reviewed journals are of equal authority.


On Thu, Mar 13, 2008 at 12:49 AM, Birgitte SB <birgitte_sb at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>
>  --- Birgitte SB <birgitte_sb at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>  >
>  > --- Mike Godwin <mgodwin at wikimedia.org> wrote:
>  >
>  > >
>  > > Birgitte writes:
>  > >
>  > > >> Can you remind me again what sources we *do*
>  > > trust
>  > > >> altogether for
>  > > >> their objectivity?
>  > > >
>  > > >
>  > > > Consumer Reports?
>  > > >
>  > > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_Reports
>  > >
>  > > Hey, I've actually represented Consumers Union,
>  > > which publishes
>  > > Consumer Reports!  I love my friends there, but
>  > I'm
>  > > still traumatized
>  > > by the issue in which they rated the IBM PCjr (an
>  > > ill-fated, hobbled
>  > > machine) over the Apple //c (all the functionality
>  > > of a fitted out
>  > > Apple //e, but portable!).  I'm not entirely sure
>  > > the review was all
>  > > that objective.
>  > >
>  > >
>  > > --Mike
>  > >
>  >
>  > They certainly have gotten things wrong over the
>  > years.  There have been poorly designed tests, poor
>  > executed tests, math errors, and patently stupid
>  > preferences of certain criteria in the rankings (do
>  > read the full review and not just the rank number).
>  > But biased?  That is quite a stretch.
>  >
>  > Do I entirely trust that I will agree that an item
>  > ranked #1 is better than on ranked #4? No.  Do I
>  > entirely trust the Consumer's Union is objective?
>  > Yes.
>  >
>
>  BTW I am assuming dropping in that you worked with
>  them professionally in the past is not a hint that you
>  know something about their lack of objectivity that
>  the general public does not.  Otherwise it would be a
>  bit foolish to disagree with your opinion having no
>  such first-hand experience with CU myself.
>
>  Birgitte SB
>
>
>
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-- 
David Goodman, Ph.D, M.L.S.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:DGG