Ask Skewz.com Founder About Detecting Media Bias 299
Skewz.com is not the Microsoft-funded Blews experiment that is supposed to help detect rightness and leftness in stories based on blogs that link to them. Instead of detecting blog links, Skewz relies on readers to submit and rate stories, and even tries to pair stories that have "liberal" and "conservative" biases so that you can get multiple takes on the same event or pronouncement. The Skewz About page explains how it works. The site has drawn a fair amount of "media insider" attention, including a writeup on the Poynter Institute website. But what does all this mean? Where is it going? Can Skewz.com help us sort our news better and make more informed decisions? We don't know. But if you post a question here for founder Vipul Vyas, maybe he'll have an answer for you. (Please try to follow the usual Slashdot interview rules.)
Re:So what is liberal or conservative? (Score:1, Funny)
Re:So what is liberal or conservative? (Score:4, Funny)
What about consensus? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Skewz me? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Are all americans one dimensional (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Are all americans one dimensional (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Are all americans one dimensional (Score:2, Funny)
To whom it may concern:
As you may be aware, under the 'Communism Rule' of politics, any philosophy that puts repeatedly people in power under its 'label', who then become wildly unpopular and/or power mad, resulting in the supporters being forced to distance themselves by claiming that said person is not a 'Real Label', but it would work if they could find a 'Real Label' to elect, are allowed 25 years to find such a person. If, at the end of that time, they have failed to find such a person, said philosophy is declared a null and void.
By our calculations, the 25 years deadline for the 'Conservative' philosophy was reached in 2005 without a single 'Real Conservative' ever being elected. As 'Conservativism' has been unable to produce a 'conservative' in any way, shape, or form , despiting being given a quarter of the century to find one, that term was deemed completely disfunct and you were legally enjoined from using it.
Through a lapse on our part, this was not noticed until 2006, and you were given your two (2) year notice in the 2006 election. This is your eight (8) month notice that, starting November 1 2008, you must cease and desist using the term 'Conservative', 'Conservativism', and all other worded based on the 'Conserve' prefix, or you will be fined $1000 for each violation.
This does not apply to 'Theoconservative' or 'neoconservative', or 'theocon' or 'neocon'. You can continue using those terms, assuming you so wish.
However, we have ruled that 'paleoconservative' is simply another way to refer to traditional 'conservative' and is thus covered under the 'conservative' ruling, and you are required to also desist from using that. This includes the term 'paleocon'.
Thank you for your time.
Re:Are all americans one dimensional (Score:2, Funny)
Sir:
Thank you for your letter alerting me the coming change in political lexicon. I was unaware of the pending lapse. Owing to the fact that the word "conservative" no longer describes someone of the traditional conservative persuasion, I will desist from using that term. I am saddened, however that you include the term "paleoconservative" or "paleocon". I recognize my god-given right to use these words refering only to the aforemeniontioned political ideology, as long as such ideals exist, in my head, if not in political circles. If you insist on collecting fines for the use of paleoconservative or its derivatives, you will be hearing from my lawyer
Thank you.