Johnny Bravo wrote:
> John, why do you reference Turkish newspapers? Since last year,
> the independent Turkish media is all but dead. Erdogan seized
> independent newspapers and turned them all into government mouth
> pieces. How credible is the analysis offered by these sources? How
> do you sift through the rot?
Unfortunately, there's no such thing as an unbiased press. The
Turkish newspapers are no more biased than the NY Times and NBC news
and the Washington Post.
So my job, in providing unbiased analysis, is to choose from the media
sources available. One thing I frequently do is reference two biased
sources, one on each side of an issue.
In the case of today's article, the specific purpose of the article
was to provide Turkey's views on the big picture in Syria and Iraq.
Obviously, the best media sources for Turkey's views are Turkey's
media. Similarly, if I want to discuss the Obama administration's
view of something, the best sources are the NY Times and NBC News and
the Washington Post, because they're essentially public relations arms
for the administration.
The only thing I would add is that having written thousands of
articles referencing tens of thousands of media articles is that I've
developed a pretty good feel for whether the particular article that
I'm reading is good analysis or bullshit. I've had lots of practice,
and that's really all it takes.
So the short answer to why I would link to biased media is that
there's no other kind.