tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38418152.post3838293604711395198..comments2023-12-07T02:53:15.151-06:00Comments on The Note on my Door: Helpful hints for deciding “What is happening?” and “Where do I stand?”Greg Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09154543464555817869noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38418152.post-79396344900882214082011-03-02T10:37:02.267-06:002011-03-02T10:37:02.267-06:00Greg--great post and much appreciated. Two suggest...Greg--great post and much appreciated. Two suggestions: I really like using news aggregators to help with the work of steps one and two. Here's a great google news feed for the events in Wisconsin: http://news.google.com/news/more?pz=1&cf=all&ned=us&ncl=dKW2mQnsQqSVdmM_3vWpxsz_T_PUM&topic=h. <br /><br />Second, while the point you make in "Unpack the Numbers and the Language" is an excellent one, it is slightly misleading, particularly since the Cap Times editorial itself gets the facts wrong. The current budget deficit is NOT a result of Walker's tax cuts (which haven't yet been collected--they're relevant for the 2011-2013 budget cycle), rather, the current budget deficit is the result of the State Supreme Court's decision that the State must repay $200 million it took from a medical malpractice fund to balance the budget in 2007. See: http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt_and_politics/article_445e572c-9400-11df-a570-001cc4c002e0.html. The point you're making might be better made in relation to the way that Governor Walker (and subsequent news outlets) have talked about state employee contributions to pension and benefit plans. See: http://www.tax.com/taxcom/taxblog.nsf/Permalink/UBEN-8EDJYS for a really interesting unpacking of legal language and why semantics and the way we talk about details matters.Steelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06296816821254638443noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38418152.post-80302463621899339912011-03-01T06:32:31.603-06:002011-03-01T06:32:31.603-06:00Thanks for your comment, Anonymous. I disagree th...Thanks for your comment, Anonymous. I disagree that sources like the New York Times, Reuters, the New Republic, and the Associated Press are "on the left." Certainly sources like Mother Jones and the Capital Times are -- they say so clearly for any reader who explores them -- and I address my reasons for including those sources above, as ways of exploring the context and debate around the issue. I also pointed out reasons for being skeptical of one of the first major pundits to visit the city, Ed Schultz of MSNBC, who also clearly advertises himself as being "on the left." I think you are looking for a false equivalency. To understand a debate around political issues in a state where the Executive and Legislative branch are both currently controlled by one party -- and who are pushing a stark agenda against worker organizing rights that is the stated goal of that party's most conservative base -- it is important to explore opposition viewpoints represented in a more partisan press. Finally, I must say that in my own evaluation of various news outlets in their professional experience, their use of evidence, and their responsible engagement in a debate, many well-respected sources "on the left" which have real insight into this issue -- like, say, the Madison-based Progressive magazine or the Chicago based In These Times -- do a much better job of understanding and explaining the issues at stake than does, say, the Fox News Channel with its clear intent of sensationalizing proven hot-button issues in order to reach, and keep, a targeted viewing audience "on the right." I hope that my students would agree that, in the media classes I teach, we explore all of these issues fairly, and in much greater depth than a blog post (or a blog comment) can provide.Greg Downeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09154543464555817869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38418152.post-51846784689519049342011-02-28T22:27:17.851-06:002011-02-28T22:27:17.851-06:00Useful general advice, but virtually all the speci...Useful general advice, but virtually all the specifics point the reader (presumably students in most cases) to one particular slant on the story, issues, and events. The sources are almost completely on the left. The post ends up working against its seemingly high-minded intent -- "here's how to do an open-minded, hard-thinking, critical analysis: read these sources that mostly present one side of the issue."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38418152.post-86437665396783456812011-02-21T09:35:25.359-06:002011-02-21T09:35:25.359-06:00Thanks for this excellent post!! I'd love to s...Thanks for this excellent post!! I'd love to share your thoughts with my students! This post also helps me develop ideas about my new literacy course I've been working on. <br /><br />SookAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38418152.post-18798102386180384952011-02-21T08:46:13.841-06:002011-02-21T08:46:13.841-06:00This is a wonderful post. Thank you. I think I'...This is a wonderful post. Thank you. I think I'm going to direct my students here.Mamalaynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02239511661947502942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38418152.post-71297522626252352502011-02-20T23:05:39.833-06:002011-02-20T23:05:39.833-06:00Great post, Greg. I had this moment last night in...Great post, Greg. I had this moment last night in O'Hare on the way back to Madison where I realized that the strangers discussing the events in Madison were not always well informed, and that this is why information literacy stuff is so darn important! It was easy enough for them to discuss the situation and maybe even have an opinion about it, even if they were not 100% sure of the circumstances and it was just driving me crazy. I want to send this post to those airport strangers.Jenn Huckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07374407957659467429noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38418152.post-77433652899839760432011-02-20T21:35:03.929-06:002011-02-20T21:35:03.929-06:00Impressively well done!
Christopher Lee (77RiceG...Impressively well done! <br />Christopher Lee (77RiceGuy@gmail.com)77RiceGuyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03251676633195126963noreply@blogger.com