[WikiEN-l] Representing all P'sOV is important; "balance" isn't.

Sat Jan 10 00:02:33 UTC 2004

The essence of censorship, and of social thought control, is the suppression 
of alternative points of view to the point where the average member of 
society literally does not know that the point of view exists. Orwell, 
insanity is a minority of one. The goal is to get people with doubts or 
tendencies to inquiry to believe "I am _the only person in the world_ who 
believes this."

This sort of censorship can exist even when more than one point of view is 
represented.  For example, in the United States, there is a tendency by the 
mainstream media to give the impression that everyone is _either_ a 
Republican or a Democrat. (I often think it comical, fa lal lal, fa lal lal, 
that every boy and every gal who's born into this world alive is either a 
little Liberal or else a little Conservative...) Or, that everyone is either 
a Catholic, a Protestant, or a Jew.

The strength of this sort of thought suppression is almost entirely sapped 
when even the slightest hint of the existence of the suppressed point of view 
slips through. Many of us have felt the intense liberating effect of the 
discovery that we are _not_ the only [agnostics, Democrats, people who can't 
abide twelve-tone music, whatever] in the world

The important thing is that the points of view be presented. And, that they 
be labelled and attributed so that the reader has an opportunity to judge 
their credibility.

Whether the presentation is balanced is _far_ less important. The reader can 
see and judge the balance for himself. If the article gives great weight to 
one set of views and little weight to another, that will be obvious to the 
reader, who will be able to sense the author's point of view. That's OK. It's 
not important that the author's point of view not leak through (and it's 
impossible to prevent). What's important is that the other points of view be 
present. _Even if_ they are given short shrift, or accurately or inaccurately 
presented as less authoritative.  "You'll believe this, and no authority 
supports it, but there IS this kook named Copernicus who thinks the Earth 
isn't the center of the universe" is more than enough to open the mind and 
trigger the "Wow! is that _possible_?" response.

An article that truly presents a single point of view ex cathedra is bad.  
But I think even a sentence or two labelling it "this is the XYZ point of 
view put forth by ABC. QQXXZZ, however, counters (one sentence summary)" 
"neutralizes" it almost completely. Later, if someone wants to write a longer 
section dealing with the QQXXZZ viewpoint, they can.

That's my point of view, anyway. 