The New York Times: The "Experts" We Consulted, Including One Blogger for Mother Jones Whose Politics We Won't Identify, Have Completely Cleared Us of the Charge of Bias So Everything's Good

"Experts."

Funny thing, when a lawyer wants to bring expert testimony to trial he expert-shops for someone willing to make his case for him.

Everyone knows this is standard practice, but I'm sure the NYT would never stoop to such a commonplace means of using an "expert" as a ventriloquist's doll through which you sound your own voice.

Incidentally, there are now "experts" who can tell us when a media company is, or is not, biased. Time was, "experts" would actually have to have expertise in a rigorous field of knowledge in which there was an actual science or at least a craft or extensive body of knowledge qualifying one for that status.

What I mean is, we didn't used to cite "experts" for things which are plainly personal opinions.

But we're a stupider nation now, so apparently if someone calls himself an "expert," and the NYT asks him to say nice things about the NYT, then the "experts" have weighed in on the matter and now the case is closed.

I guess we'll just have "experts" in all "fields," such as Is MSNBC Awesome or What? and "Girls" is Totally Funny, Serious You Guys.
(Safe link to MRC, by the way.)

posted by Ace at 07:44 PM

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