Comments on: Debate Fact Checks http://donklephant.com/2008/10/03/debate-fact-checks/ Big Teeth. Huge Ass. Surprisingly Reasonable. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:53:41 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: mdgeorge http://donklephant.com/2008/10/03/debate-fact-checks/comment-page-1/#comment-418509 mdgeorge Fri, 03 Oct 2008 16:02:58 +0000 http://donklephant.com/?p=8666#comment-418509 I think that in some sense the "bending the truth" is an inevitable consequence of our very short answer media culture. If you only have 90 seconds to respond to something, you can't possibly describe your posiiton in detail. You have to misstate things to actually say anything. Yes, some are more shameless than others, but I think more an, longer, and focused debates would help a lot with this. (Also, more depth in news coverage, instead of more short interviews with many pundits). I think that in some sense the “bending the truth” is an inevitable consequence of our very short answer media culture. If you only have 90 seconds to respond to something, you can’t possibly describe your posiiton in detail. You have to misstate things to actually say anything. Yes, some are more shameless than others, but I think more an, longer, and focused debates would help a lot with this. (Also, more depth in news coverage, instead of more short interviews with many pundits).

]]> By: Alan Stewart Carl http://donklephant.com/2008/10/03/debate-fact-checks/comment-page-1/#comment-418506 Alan Stewart Carl Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:47:44 +0000 http://donklephant.com/?p=8666#comment-418506 Kranky -- yeah, balance and accuracy aren't the same thing -- a fact the media often forget. I guess at some point it's up to us voters to weigh the severity of the deceptions and decide who we trust more. Kranky — yeah, balance and accuracy aren’t the same thing — a fact the media often forget. I guess at some point it’s up to us voters to weigh the severity of the deceptions and decide who we trust more.

]]> By: kranky kritter http://donklephant.com/2008/10/03/debate-fact-checks/comment-page-1/#comment-418499 kranky kritter Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:11:00 +0000 http://donklephant.com/?p=8666#comment-418499 Not as sad as not having one, if you accept human nature. What is sad is that we'll probably never see a "check the checkers." I can almost guarantee that all the major media fact checkers for debates do their best to fit a quota where they have close to equal numbers of oopsies for each candidate, even if they find more oopsies by one or the other. Notice how the story is organized palin/biden/palin/biden until the end where palin gets 2 extras. Granted, this stuff is hard to grade. Not as sad as not having one, if you accept human nature. What is sad is that we’ll probably never see a “check the checkers.” I can almost guarantee that all the major media fact checkers for debates do their best to fit a quota where they have close to equal numbers of oopsies for each candidate, even if they find more oopsies by one or the other.

Notice how the story is organized palin/biden/palin/biden until the end where palin gets 2 extras.

Granted, this stuff is hard to grade.

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