ThreeNoSeep
ThreeNoSeep's JournalDefending the East Oregonian
I feel a need to respond for a newspaper.
There was a since-locked thread about the East Oregonian newspaper and a headline from 2015 that used the word "Amphibious" rather than "Ambidextrous" in a headline about a baseball pitcher. Folks immediately attributed the amusing error to right-wing bias/ignorance or as evidence of the problems of using AI.
Later on, the person who posted the thread took it down, which I appreciate.
Having edited headlines for years, I know from experience that the number of errors that appear in a print article, or a web-version of a print article, is miniscule compared to the number of headlines that are accurate. Typically many eyeballs will look for errors, from multiple editors to the print layout staff to the printer operators themselves, and luckily the production staff usually catches them. When errors do happen, and they most certainly do, the dedicated readers will let the editor know with endless emails and phone calls in the days after publication. I recall many conversations where my half of the interaction would begin, "Yes, we are aware of the error..." When people do notice a big mistake, it's usually because of something more than a mere misspelling. Though the mistake is usually drab and benign, hilarity sometimes ensues.
As newsrooms incorporate more AI, we will see less of this type of error, because AI is becoming that good. And perhaps we news junkies will be the worse for the result because of less amusement in our daily consumption of news.
As for the bias of the East Oregonian, there wasn't much to find using "East Oregonian Newspaper" and "Bias", though there were some search results for complaints that their editorial page has a liberal bias. It is worth noting that Harris won in Oregon.
With the closing of 3200 newspapers nationwide and a reduction in U.S. reporting staff by over 50 percent in the first 25 years of the 21st Century, many of us now live in news deserts where the local history of families and communities disappear in the face of indifference and cynicism.
My hope is that the East Oregonian is still reporting on their local communities.
Feeling confident and asking myself what do we hope for?
Joe Biden was the farmer that moved us into the storm shelter until the tornado passed. He's a hero and we should honor him as a nation in our history books. Four years ago, we dealt with the storm that is a runaway fascist movement, but we have left some of the damage in disrepair. The farmer has patched the roof the storm left in the house, but the damage to the barn has sat through the latest storm season. It’s time to cooperate as a nation, strengthen the country as best we can, and together find a thoughtful path forward.
Tao Te Ching, 17 on True Leaders, Ursula K. Leguin's translation of Lao Tzu's words
True leaders
are hardly known to their followers.
Next after them are the leaders
the people know and admire;
after them, those they fear;
after them, those they despise.
To give no trust
is to get no trust.
When the work's done right,
with no fuss or boasting,
ordinary people say,
Oh, we did it.
Above our paygrade
Arguing on this forum over whether Biden should drop out has about as much consequence as a fart in a hurricane.
Smart pragmatic people on this board don't care if Biden is healthy enough to be commander-in-chief. They don't care if party leaders put someone else in as the Democratic nominee. We just want to beat Trump.
Biden has my vote. If he was in a coma, he has my vote. If they switch him out with Harris, she has my vote. If, at the convention, they put a broken Magic Eight Ball to lead the Democratic ticket, it has my vote. They could literally nominate Commander the Dog, and I would (also literally) risk my life to cast a vote for the Democratic ticket to oppose these fucking fascists.
We, with our arguing, shirt tearing, and oh-so inciteful rhetoric are not making these decisions.
The power you have, the only influence you will make in the coming months, is to support and cast your vote for the Democratic nominee come November. All the rest is just trying to stay upwind of the public fart storm.
I'm so glad my cynicism went unrewarded
I truly did not think our justice system still worked. I am grateful New York proved me wrong.
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Member since: Wed Aug 16, 2023, 11:14 AMNumber of posts: 200