Misinformation: Semi-Explained

December 30, 2020

I read “Why We’re Posting about Misinformation More Than Ever.” I am not going to work through the Silicon Valley MBA, jargon fest. The informing idea for the essay may be this statement:

Neither the media nor fact-checkers controlled the online conversation surrounding “misinformation” this year.

I am tempted to ask, “Who appointed media and fact checkers as the arbiters of truth”? But, no, I will not ask this question.

Instead I will focus on the big concept of a single online publication dog paddling with enthusiasm to generate revenue, writing about misinformation.

I want to ask several questions and perhaps an enthusiastic Silicon Valley MBA thumb typer or a graduate of a up market journalism school will answer each. Here we go:

Is Vox is writing about misinformation because Vox is outputting misinformation? The skewed output is similar to a Google results list just powered by humans, not algorithm magic.
Does Vox wants clicks because clicks generate the desirable pile of money?
Does Vox believe that technology is now the fabric of modern life; therefore, politics, specious write ups about what a company should do, and trying really hard to become more than an online information service is the path to influence?

Standing by.

Stephen E Arnold, December 30, 2020

Written by Stephen E. Arnold · Filed Under Marketing, News

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Stephen E. Arnold monitors search, content processing, text mining and related topics from his high-tech nerve center in rural Kentucky. He tries to winnow the goose feathers from the giblets. He works with colleagues worldwide to make this Web log useful to those who want to go "beyond search". Contact him at sa [at] arnoldit.com. His Web site with additional information about search is arnoldit.com.