Ask Skewz.com Founder About Detecting Media Bias

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.)

Comments

Re:Skewz me?

[DigiShaman]

Because it has a "victimization" slant to it. Technically, I would give it a neutral rating. But, if it had something to do with blacks or hispanics not getting enough attention in school, it would be liberal without question.

Re:Are all americans one dimensional

[Naughty Bob]

Left: Society is responsible for the individual (Government regulation and welfare)
Right: Individuals are responsible for them selves (Free market)

A progressive society recognises the benefits in helping out its less fortunate members.

Sure, there's a balance to be struck between helping them, and encouraging freeloading, but then the discussion becomes about the mechanism, not the principles.

The 'Democratic Socialist' systems of Scandinavia are repeatedly judged to be the most successful in quality of life terms (and what else are we here for?)

Meanwhile, America (which I cite only because it is the self-proclaimed poster-child for unfettered free marketism), is projected to reach 28 Million people surviving on food stamps this year. You are fiddling whilst Rome burns, in a most Marie Antoinette-like fashion.

Re:Are all americans one dimensional

[Captain Splendid]

Correction: The divisive split between "Right" and "Far Right" is one of the things that most cripples democracy in the USA, today.

Well said. I'll take the left wing loons over the right wing ones any day of the week and twice on sundays. I appreciate their firm stance on their "principles", but coexisting with hundreds of millions of people in a first world country requires a lot more compromise than fundies are even willing to think about, let alone actually do.

Re:Are all americans one dimensional

[Naughty Bob]

That's what you think is going on (and you could be right), but in theory, that's not their philosophy.

That's not their espoused philosophy, sure. It's not the kind of thing you can admit out loud, without everyone you know thinking less of you. Because it's selfish and cruel.

None the less, if it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck....