Hacker News Reader

Comment by x220 | Hacker News Reader

I'd estimate that a solid 90% of the mainstream news I read about computer science subjects has factual errors. Not interpretations different than mine--stuff that just ain't true. It makes me wonder how competent the writer is, and makes me wonder if 90% of the rest of mainstream news is written just as incompetently, but I just can't notice it because I'm not an expert in everything.

View on HN

I can't find the name for it right now, but for me that has been a common way to think about why some "news" items stick around, even when they're total BS.

People read an item within their own field and go "what a load of crap, they can't even get the basics right rage" then they turn the page, read something from a different field and go "my, that's so interesting, these people really know their stuff!"

You're looking for https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gell-Mann_amnesia_effect

EDIT: HN is a magical place, thanks :)

I posited recently that news in areas we're not expert in are basically processed as entertainment, which is why we don't give a damn about its accuracy whereas we're comparatively so enraged about gross mistakes in areas we're well-versed in.

Are you referring to the Gell-Mann amnesia effect?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gell-Mann_amnesia_effect

Or even better "the media is full of bs and lying to us" turns channel to preferred starting "wow, these guys are really uncovering the deep state and showing media what's up"

By the way, I've never read something in The Economist that contradicted my personal knowledge and experience. They're worth the money, I think.

It's the same about finance (outside of the FT and WSJ). A journalist once defined the profession as "the art of explaining to others what one hasn't understood".

Reply on news.ycombinator.com