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  <title>Just a Gwai Lo</title>
  <subtitle>fun within prescribed limits</subtitle>
  <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://justagwailo.com/filter/2004/01/16/corrections"/>
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  <updated>2007-11-08T09:43:24-08:00</updated>
  <entry>
    <title>A Surprisingly Powerful Way To Win An Argument</title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://justagwailo.com/filter/2004/01/16/corrections" />
    <id>http://justagwailo.com/filter/2004/01/16/corrections</id>
    <published>2004-01-16T15:05:21-08:00</published>
    <updated>2007-11-08T09:43:24-08:00</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Richard</name>
    </author>
    <category term="Filter" />
    <category term="corrections" />
    <summary type="html"><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.makeoutcity.com/Archives/2004/01/16/183400">Jay</a> on people (journalists, bloggers and otherwise) who do not give the correction equal weight as the original:  <span class="q">&ldquo;we must vote with our attention on these people. If you don't see someone linking to commentary or correction, then they are not a trustworthy source and they seek to manipulate you.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p>I try to link to corrections&mdash;I present as evidence <a href="http://www.justagwailo.com/filter/2003/12/26/will">my links to criticism of a favourite writer of mine</a>, which, while not a correction <i>per se</i>, can act as such because it shows the writer to be less trustworthy than previously imagined&mdash;but efforts still need to be doubled in that respect.  It's disingenuous to link to or cite something, and then read of a correction (which you believe to be an accurate one: the correction itself must be evaluated on its own terms), and not link to the correction.  Jay's right: I'm more likely to trust a blogger who will, when something they've linked to&mdash;especially something that would help make a political point for them&mdash;notes that a correction has been made and incorporates that into the body of evidence that informs their opinion.  Admitting that there exists evidence that tends to counter your argument can be a surprisingly powerful way to <b>win</b> an argument.</p>
<p>An effective blogger or journalist also gives some attention to opinions or facts that tend to counter their opinions.  There's no need for <b>equal</b> weight to be given, but linking, even if it's in criticism of something, but I'm more likely to trust someone who points to their enemies and <b>then</b> criticizes them, because it avoids&mdash;or at least gives people the opportunity to expose&mdash;<a href="http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/straw-man.html">straw man fallacies</a>.  Your case against someone's idea improves when you link to it, so that the reader can judge for themselves whether you've quoted something in the right context.</p>
    ]]></summary>
    <content type="html"><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.makeoutcity.com/Archives/2004/01/16/183400">Jay</a> on people (journalists, bloggers and otherwise) who do not give the correction equal weight as the original:  <span class="q">&ldquo;we must vote with our attention on these people. If you don't see someone linking to commentary or correction, then they are not a trustworthy source and they seek to manipulate you.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p>I try to link to corrections&mdash;I present as evidence <a href="http://www.justagwailo.com/filter/2003/12/26/will">my links to criticism of a favourite writer of mine</a>, which, while not a correction <i>per se</i>, can act as such because it shows the writer to be less trustworthy than previously imagined&mdash;but efforts still need to be doubled in that respect.  It's disingenuous to link to or cite something, and then read of a correction (which you believe to be an accurate one: the correction itself must be evaluated on its own terms), and not link to the correction.  Jay's right: I'm more likely to trust a blogger who will, when something they've linked to&mdash;especially something that would help make a political point for them&mdash;notes that a correction has been made and incorporates that into the body of evidence that informs their opinion.  Admitting that there exists evidence that tends to counter your argument can be a surprisingly powerful way to <b>win</b> an argument.</p>
<p>An effective blogger or journalist also gives some attention to opinions or facts that tend to counter their opinions.  There's no need for <b>equal</b> weight to be given, but linking, even if it's in criticism of something, but I'm more likely to trust someone who points to their enemies and <b>then</b> criticizes them, because it avoids&mdash;or at least gives people the opportunity to expose&mdash;<a href="http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/straw-man.html">straw man fallacies</a>.  Your case against someone's idea improves when you link to it, so that the reader can judge for themselves whether you've quoted something in the right context.</p>
    ]]></content>
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