Political bias in Wikipedia (Humans)

by xeno6696 @, Sonoran Desert, Friday, June 22, 2012, 20:11 (4287 days ago)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/study-wikipedia-perpetuates-politic... shouldn't be shocking: The young tend to lean left and also predominate computer users.-But it does point out how difficult it is to work without bias.

--
\"Why is it, Master, that ascetics fight with ascetics?\"

\"It is, brahmin, because of attachment to views, adherence to views, fixation on views, addiction to views, obsession with views, holding firmly to views that ascetics fight with ascetics.\"

Political bias in Wikipedia

by romansh ⌂ @, Saturday, June 23, 2012, 15:27 (4287 days ago) @ xeno6696

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/study-wikipedia-perpetuates-politic... 
> This shouldn't be shocking: The young tend to lean left and also predominate computer users.
> 
> But it does point out how difficult it is to work without bias.-What exactly do you mean by biased Matt?-For me it means anyone who does not agree with my position (even if my position is continually changing).-Having said that I don't think Socialist Worker has a team of full time editors going around correcting Wikipedia for insufficiently liberal views.-http://socialistworker.org/

Political bias in Wikipedia

by David Turell @, Saturday, June 23, 2012, 18:15 (4286 days ago) @ romansh

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/study-wikipedia-perpetuates-politic... > 
> > This shouldn't be shocking: The young tend to lean left and also predominate computer users.
> > 
> > But it does point out how difficult it is to work without bias.
> 
> What exactly do you mean by biased Matt?
> 
> For me it means anyone who does not agree with my position (even if my position is continually changing).-
Everyone comes with a personally biased position. We are left, right or moderate. I was born into a wildly liberal N.Y. family. As I aged I shifted to libertarian in many aspects of my thinking. Of course bias exits and Matt's point is right on. "If by 20 you are not liberal you have no heart, if by 40 you are not conservative, you have no brain." (paraphrased) But famously true.

Political bias in Wikipedia

by xeno6696 @, Sonoran Desert, Saturday, June 23, 2012, 18:17 (4286 days ago) @ romansh

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/study-wikipedia-perpetuates-politic... > 
> > This shouldn't be shocking: The young tend to lean left and also predominate computer users.
> > 
> > But it does point out how difficult it is to work without bias.
> 
> What exactly do you mean by biased Matt?
> 
> For me it means anyone who does not agree with my position (even if my position is continually changing).
> 
> Having said that I don't think Socialist Worker has a team of full time editors going around correcting Wikipedia for insufficiently liberal views.
> 
> http://socialistworker.org/-If you read the link I posted, they labelled *exactly* what they called political bias.

--
\"Why is it, Master, that ascetics fight with ascetics?\"

\"It is, brahmin, because of attachment to views, adherence to views, fixation on views, addiction to views, obsession with views, holding firmly to views that ascetics fight with ascetics.\"

Political bias in Wikipedia

by romansh ⌂ @, Sunday, June 24, 2012, 01:01 (4286 days ago) @ xeno6696

If you read the link I posted, they labelled *exactly* what they called political bias.-Thank you Matt, I had not read the blog before I asked the question.-But I have to admit they were silent on "What bias means to Matt".

Political bias in Wikipedia

by xeno6696 @, Sonoran Desert, Sunday, June 24, 2012, 01:35 (4286 days ago) @ romansh

If you read the link I posted, they labelled *exactly* what they called political bias.
> 
> Thank you Matt, I had not read the blog before I asked the question.
> 
> But I have to admit they were silent on "What bias means to Matt".-I guess I'm confused by why you're even asking me for *my* take on political bias. Brace yourself, this isn't probably a short read. (You asked however...)-Bias is probably best described by looking for keywords that signal an opinion is being pushed. Modern American media is replete with this kind of speak, and it underlines certain news networks. (MSNBC which leans left, and Fox News who leans right.) -My 2 cent definition of what bias is, it's all the parts of some (story, issue) that by nature, is incomplete by act of deliberate or accidental ommission.-The trick in the notion of bias is that as humans, we're not all that great at being objective. (Nietzsche would have laughed Kant out of the room.) -So what is objectivity? That's a more important question, than "What is bias?" I will say that it is the state of discussion in which all sides are represented. In the case of the news stations, I would say that what is objective is what two of them agree on in regards to the same story.-How do I determine if an article is biased? Who wrote it? Are they affiliated in some way financially or egoistically to a position? Did they treat the opposing view fairly, if at all, so as to avoid a strawman? Importantly, do they acknowledge their bias?-Bias is unconscious for most of us, but thankfully there's other people to catch it.-I'm still puzzled as to why you care about my views in all of this, but that's about it.

--
\"Why is it, Master, that ascetics fight with ascetics?\"

\"It is, brahmin, because of attachment to views, adherence to views, fixation on views, addiction to views, obsession with views, holding firmly to views that ascetics fight with ascetics.\"

Political bias in Wikipedia

by David Turell @, Sunday, June 24, 2012, 01:40 (4286 days ago) @ xeno6696
edited by unknown, Sunday, June 24, 2012, 01:49


> 
> Bias is probably best described by looking for keywords that signal an opinion is being pushed. Modern American media is replete with this kind of speak, and it underlines certain news networks. (MSNBC which leans left, and Fox News who leans right.) -
So which channel do you watch? :>))-Talk about bias: Shapiro answers Coyne in Huff post battle:-http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-a-shapiro/jerry-coyne-fails-to-unde_b_1411144.html-Shapiro is the winner

Political bias in Wikipedia

by xeno6696 @, Sonoran Desert, Sunday, June 24, 2012, 01:50 (4286 days ago) @ David Turell


> > 
> > Bias is probably best described by looking for keywords that signal an opinion is being pushed. Modern American media is replete with this kind of speak, and it underlines certain news networks. (MSNBC which leans left, and Fox News who leans right.) 
> 
> 
> So which channel do you watch? :>))-Neither. I stick with comedy central. ;-)-Jokes aside, the only domestic news source that sticks to old school journalistic ideals IMHO is Christian Science Monitor. I generally avoid TV news because they always try to do my thinking for me. Well... that said I generally avoid TV news.-I just don't have the time to watch the same story 3 times to figure out who's being biased. I tend to trust BBC more when reading American news... they usually have less reason to care. -Ever since the invention of "Yellow Journalism" I've had little luck finding "Just the facts, Ma'am."

--
\"Why is it, Master, that ascetics fight with ascetics?\"

\"It is, brahmin, because of attachment to views, adherence to views, fixation on views, addiction to views, obsession with views, holding firmly to views that ascetics fight with ascetics.\"

Political bias in Wikipedia

by David Turell @, Sunday, June 24, 2012, 05:10 (4286 days ago) @ xeno6696

Ever since the invention of "Yellow Journalism" I've had little luck finding "Just the facts, Ma'am."-That goes back well over a century.-New comments on wikipedia:-http://www.technolog.msnbc.msn.com/technology/technolog/wikipedia-editorial-warzone-says-study-838793

Political bias in Wikipedia

by xeno6696 @, Sonoran Desert, Sunday, June 24, 2012, 13:23 (4286 days ago) @ David Turell

Ever since the invention of "Yellow Journalism" I've had little luck finding "Just the facts, Ma'am."
> 
> That goes back well over a century.-Exactly. -> 
> New comments on wikipedia:
> 
> http://www.technolog.msnbc.msn.com/technology/technolog/wikipedia-editorial-warzone-say... leads me to the consideration that some of the propositions of a wiki-like interaction isn't really going to solve many problems with peer review. -At the same time, it seems the most obvious possible place to move.

--
\"Why is it, Master, that ascetics fight with ascetics?\"

\"It is, brahmin, because of attachment to views, adherence to views, fixation on views, addiction to views, obsession with views, holding firmly to views that ascetics fight with ascetics.\"

Political bias in Wikipedia

by xeno6696 @, Sonoran Desert, Sunday, June 24, 2012, 13:32 (4286 days ago) @ David Turell

"Thanks to TV and for the convenience of TV, you can only be one of two kinds of human beings, either a liberal or a conservative."
--Kurt Vonnegut

--
\"Why is it, Master, that ascetics fight with ascetics?\"

\"It is, brahmin, because of attachment to views, adherence to views, fixation on views, addiction to views, obsession with views, holding firmly to views that ascetics fight with ascetics.\"

Political bias in Wikipedia

by xeno6696 @, Sonoran Desert, Sunday, June 24, 2012, 13:36 (4286 days ago) @ David Turell

Shapiro is pissing off both ID and NS...-Means he's probably right.

--
\"Why is it, Master, that ascetics fight with ascetics?\"

\"It is, brahmin, because of attachment to views, adherence to views, fixation on views, addiction to views, obsession with views, holding firmly to views that ascetics fight with ascetics.\"

Political bias in Wikipedia

by romansh ⌂ @, Sunday, June 24, 2012, 15:18 (4286 days ago) @ xeno6696

Thanks Mark, I just wanted to check that you did not mean a bias away from some absolute truth.
> I guess I'm confused by why you're even asking me for *my* take on political bias. 
>....
> so as to avoid a strawman? Importantly, do they acknowledge their bias?
>Bias is unconscious for most of us, but thankfully there's other people to catch it.
>I'm still puzzled as to why you care about my views in all of this, but that's about it.
You seem to mean by bias that the information and opinion supplied by a disproportionately large number of tech savvy "liberals" - am I correct?-There are a few questions with this - what do you suggest?-I like the BBC as well as a news source. But it does get accused of being liberal. Journalists tend to be left leaning too.

Political bias in Wikipedia

by xeno6696 @, Sonoran Desert, Sunday, June 24, 2012, 15:52 (4286 days ago) @ romansh

Thanks Mark, I just wanted to check that you did not mean a bias away from some absolute truth.
> > I guess I'm confused by why you're even asking me for *my* take on political bias. 
> >....
> > so as to avoid a strawman? Importantly, do they acknowledge their bias?
> >Bias is unconscious for most of us, but thankfully there's other people to catch it.
> >I'm still puzzled as to why you care about my views in all of this, but that's about it.
> You seem to mean by bias that the information and opinion supplied by a disproportionately large number of tech savvy "liberals" - am I correct?
> 
> There are a few questions with this - what do you suggest?
> 
> I like the BBC as well as a news source. But it does get accused of being liberal. Journalists tend to be left leaning too.-You need to be more specific about *which* part of my posts you take issue with! I can understand more about this objection on this go-around.-In the american political demography, it's common for many people who were liberal become less so over time. It's pretty rare for young idealists to be conservative and young, so to speak. -My point is that since wikipedia came out, you are guaranteed to get a much younger, hence statistically more liberal slants on articles. Even my own generation (age 32) are a little less likely to jump on technological trends. That trend follows a power law as you move through generations. -More right-leaning articles are appearing both as some young liberals start leaning right, and as slow-adopting conservatives finally move to the new medium.

--
\"Why is it, Master, that ascetics fight with ascetics?\"

\"It is, brahmin, because of attachment to views, adherence to views, fixation on views, addiction to views, obsession with views, holding firmly to views that ascetics fight with ascetics.\"

Political bias in Wikipedia

by romansh ⌂ @, Sunday, June 24, 2012, 16:55 (4286 days ago) @ xeno6696

You need to be more specific about *which* part of my posts you take issue with! I can understand more about this objection on this go-around.-I don't have an issue with your post. Just making sure I understand it.-Regarding the study, I would have to delve more deeply but I can't say I am that curious. A question that does come to mind is, are the authors simply doing a phrase count (eg civil liberties) and divvying up phrases into liberal and conservative?

Political bias in Wikipedia

by xeno6696 @, Sonoran Desert, Sunday, June 24, 2012, 18:02 (4285 days ago) @ romansh

You need to be more specific about *which* part of my posts you take issue with! I can understand more about this objection on this go-around.
> 
> I don't have an issue with your post. Just making sure I understand it.
> -My apologies. I'm used to opposition! -> Regarding the study, I would have to delve more deeply but I can't say I am that curious. A question that does come to mind is, are the authors simply doing a phrase count (eg civil liberties) and divvying up phrases into liberal and conservative?-I didn't read the paper (sociology is too... opinion-based for me), but at a high level it looks like that's exactly what they did.

--
\"Why is it, Master, that ascetics fight with ascetics?\"

\"It is, brahmin, because of attachment to views, adherence to views, fixation on views, addiction to views, obsession with views, holding firmly to views that ascetics fight with ascetics.\"

Political bias in Wikipedia

by romansh ⌂ @, Monday, June 25, 2012, 03:24 (4285 days ago) @ xeno6696

My apologies. I'm used to opposition! 
> 
I hope not from me. I agree with well over 90% of your posts. Which is pretty good going for a cantankerous old bastard like me. ;-)

Political bias in Wikipedia

by Balance_Maintained @, U.S.A., Sunday, June 24, 2012, 23:02 (4285 days ago) @ xeno6696

My 2 cent definition of what bias is, it's all the parts of some (story, issue) that by nature, is incomplete by act of deliberate or accidental ommission.
> 
> The trick in the notion of bias is that as humans, we're not all that great at being objective. (Nietzsche would have laughed Kant out of the room.) 
> 
> So what is objectivity? That's a more important question, than "What is bias?" I will say that it is the state of discussion in which all sides are represented. In the case of the news stations, I would say that what is objective is what two of them agree on in regards to the same story.
> -I kind of agree with you here. I think the problem is a bit more fundamental than that though. There is no such thing as objective. It is impossible. The simple act of observing something introduces a bias. In other words, you are more likely to see what you are looking for. Even science suffers with this problem, where tools are designed to look for one particular thing, or one subset of things, and so are completely unaware of surrounding events that may contribute to what is being observed. -The truth is, humans are experience based creatures. We only know what we experience directly, or what we are told indirectly, which in turn is what that person experienced or was told. The problem is that, not having experienced something directly, you are constantly being fed information that has been filtered through repeated layers or experiential bias as one person after another determines what is important to pass on and what is irrelevant. -Even when you experience something directly, there is a bias because not only are you limited to the information your senses can give you, but that information is filtered through the lens of your past experiences. -So, in response to one of your later post, you will never get 'just the facts', and even if you did, they would still be biased.

--
What is the purpose of living? How about, 'to reduce needless suffering. It seems to me to be a worthy purpose.

Political bias in Wikipedia

by xeno6696 @, Sonoran Desert, Monday, June 25, 2012, 13:05 (4285 days ago) @ Balance_Maintained

http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl201/modules/Philosophers/Nietzsche/Truth_and_Lie_in_... will understand this like no other.

--
\"Why is it, Master, that ascetics fight with ascetics?\"

\"It is, brahmin, because of attachment to views, adherence to views, fixation on views, addiction to views, obsession with views, holding firmly to views that ascetics fight with ascetics.\"

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