Balanced means making the strongest argument in favor of a position.
Or, as the HN guidelines put it: "Please respond to the strongest plausible interpretation of what someone says, not a weaker one that's easier to criticize. Assume good faith."https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
Balance critically does not mean making disingenuous straw man or strong man arguments to advance a specific agenda.
Which is the guise it usually appears in today.
E.g. 'parineum is against balance in news because they believe there is one truth and other ideas shouldn't be given merit'
vs
'parineum is concerned about the de facto realization of balance as a covering for expressedly partisan viewpoints, themselves stemming from and catering to the polarization of a poorly informed audience'
One of those presupposes the answer. The other makes me curious and has multiple answers.
Making a bad argument on behalf of a group you dislike isn't balance. Making the strongest argument and debating it is.
Comments
Balanced means making the strongest argument in favor of a position.
Or, as the HN guidelines put it: "Please respond to the strongest plausible interpretation of what someone says, not a weaker one that's easier to criticize. Assume good faith." https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
Balance critically does not mean making disingenuous straw man or strong man arguments to advance a specific agenda.
Which is the guise it usually appears in today.
E.g. 'parineum is against balance in news because they believe there is one truth and other ideas shouldn't be given merit'
vs
'parineum is concerned about the de facto realization of balance as a covering for expressedly partisan viewpoints, themselves stemming from and catering to the polarization of a poorly informed audience'
One of those presupposes the answer. The other makes me curious and has multiple answers.
Making a bad argument on behalf of a group you dislike isn't balance. Making the strongest argument and debating it is.