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Nate Silver: 2/3 of America's op-ed columnists are "worthless"

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by Alma, Mar 6, 2014.

  1. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    "The state of American punditry is not strong. A lot of it is lazy, tendentious, and lost to style. But Silver’s outburst is nonetheless a slander."

    http://www.newrepublic.com/article/117068/nate-silvers-fivethirtyeight-emptiness-data-journalism
     
  2. YankeeFan

    YankeeFan Well-Known Member

    One of Ezra Klein's first hires came under fire too (as did Klein for hiring him):

    Of course Klein didn't claim to be an HR expert.
     
  3. H.L. Mencken

    H.L. Mencken Member

    If only data mining could help you read resumes and clips.
     
  4. Ric Flair guy

    Ric Flair guy Member

    So far I've liked Silver's new site....but is it really all that different from what Wonkblog was? Maybe a few longer pieces, but......
     
  5. Alma

    Alma Well-Known Member

    Strong ending:

    <i>"Is numeracy really what American public discourse most urgently lacks? And why would one boast of having no interest in the great disputations about injustice and inequality? Neutrality is an evasion of responsibility, unless everything is like sports. Like Ezra Klein, whom he admires, Nate Silver had made a success out of an escape into diffidence. What is it about conviction that frightens these people?"</i>
     
  6. YankeeFan

    YankeeFan Well-Known Member

    LOL. Silver, on Krugman, on Silver: http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/for-columnist-a-change-of-tone/

    FiveThirtyEight was an independent blog prior to joining The New York Times on Aug. 25, 2010. Mr. Krugman referred to FiveThirtyEight or Nate Silver on seven occasions during its independent period. Four of these mentions were favorable, two were neutral, and one was unfavorable.

    During FiveThirtyEight’s tenure with The New York Times, Mr. Krugman referred to FiveThirtyEight or to Nate Silver 21 times. Over all, 15 of these references were favorable, as compared to five neutral references and one unfavorable one.

    But Mr. Krugman’s views of FiveThirtyEight have changed since it re-launched March 17 under the auspices of ESPN. The columnist has mentioned FiveThirtyEight four times in just nine days, all in negative contexts. (Mr. Silver has frequently criticized what he calls “pundits” and “opinion journalists,” including those who write for The Times.)
     
  7. LongTimeListener

    LongTimeListener Well-Known Member

    That is odd. I doubt Silver was ever in the same building as Krugman or Dowd, yet he has developed the same obsession with his own greatness and everybody's acknowledgement of such.

    Maybe there's some Ego Booster Powder transmitted in the pay stubs.
     
  8. Baron Scicluna

    Baron Scicluna Well-Known Member

    I believe there was a major event that was occurring in November of 2010 and an even bigger one two years later, wasn't there?

    Which could, of course, lead to more mentions, seeing that Mr. Silver would have been considerably busier at those times.
     
  9. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    This feud is, I presume, creating quite an existential crisis for a great many devoted liberals.
     
  10. YankeeFan

    YankeeFan Well-Known Member

    Established political reporters/pundits hate this guy the way Bill Conlin hated sabermetricians.

    They hate the credit he is getting. They hate being treated like yesterday's news. And, they are unqualified to compete in the new marketplace.

    I saw Chuck Todd the other day dismissing Silver's prediction that the GOP would take over the Senate. He basically said that Silver wasn't saying anything that other political reporters weren't saying.

    But, the difference -- and this seems lost on Todd -- is that Silver is able to "show his work". His opinion is based on something, as opposed to 99% of the commentary we've gotten in the past, which was based on yard signs, pr whoever was whispering in Chuck Todd's ear.
     
  11. amraeder

    amraeder Well-Known Member

    [/i]
    Based on reading what Krugman said, I think Silver hit the nail on the head when he said:
     
  12. printit

    printit Member

    My number one pet peeve with sports stories.
     
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