About
The problem with broadcast, online and even the print news media is that they’ve lost their objectivity.
Walter Cronkite is dead. Journalism is on the decline. Twitter comments are passed off every day by the national media as hard news.
The news media has institutionalized their left/right biases.
The media contributes greatly to the growing polarization strangling the United States today.
We are constantly subjected to so-called “experts”, the pundits who analyze and explain the news to us. The problem is that they, too, are biased with their own political axe to grind. That clouds their analysis. They do little more than provide knee-jerk reactions to the event of the minute.
That is why “Inform The Pundits!” was started. It provides a more thoughtful and factual analysis of news events otherwise overlooked by everyone else.
About Me
I’m an online opinionist. I’m a fact-driven individual who uses the Internet to research and verify data presented in support of my opinions.
I used to be a weekly columnist for a 50,000+ circulation daily newspaper – The Statesman-Journal in Salem, Oregon. It’s the State Capitol. I find online tools, primarily the Internet, make it faster and easier to find and validate facts. Its made me a better writer.
I still make mistakes. I still have my own biases. I strive to improve. That is why I strongly encourage comments on what I write.
I prefer those who disagree rather than agree with me to comment the most. No matter how harsh the criticism, no legitimate comment will ever be denied posting.
That is how I learn. That is how I overcome my own biases.
That is how I’ll do a better job for readers that follow this online catharsis.
Inform The Pundits! 
Like your approach. Bloggers are the new Thomas Paines!
I used to think of blogs and blogging as a juvenile activity because it is basically unedited, unfiltered opinion of biased people. I don’t think that anymore.
Blogging serves good purposes. For example, blogging now is a new tool for researchers to flush out ideas that eventually get published in journals.
The Economist, Conscience of a Liberal, Watts Up With That? and thousands of other blogs are incredible sources of great information and inspiration.
As long as we, as readers, filter what we read with an eye on the bias of the writer than blogs can be exceptionally valuable and interesting.
Some sites are garbage, that is true. But I have found a few here and there that add a whole new perspective on matters, and get this, I have actually found facts that the media will not publish because it is too arcane. For instance, this month the US now has a Debt to GDP ratio of over 100 percent, the first time ever. Saw that on blogs, not commercial sites. So all have their place. And you are right, one does need to keep the “filters” on so to speak.
Just nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award. Cheers. You have a great site, although I now worry that the “Agencies” will follow you, or perhaps you are from the “Agencies.”
Heck, I won’t have to worry about the “Agencies” should Kim Jung-un(declared “Supreme Leader” just yesterday) get wind of my series on his nuclear program… then I’ll become an “accident” victim. lol!!!
Thank you for your attempts to make sense of the current situation.
Belatedly, I concluded that we are seeing manipulation of information (government science) to control the public, exactly as George Orwell had predicted in 1948 for post-World War II governments that would emerge by “1984″:
http://www.online-literature.com/orwell/1984/
I too am an optimist and a former NASA Principal Investigator for Apollo, but the evidence for manipulation of government science is overwhelming:
http://omanuel.wordpress.com/about/ , . . . .
Heck… the government tweaks and distorts their own data all the time.
One government data source I do like is the EIA… they seem to be a strait up agency with the most data, accessed in the most ways, and with consistently the prettiest charts and graphs I’ve ever seen.
Your site is one of the best on WordPress, and they should Freshly Post your blog. You are clearly ahead of the talking heads on tv and are objective. I have gotten to the point where when the media speaks I hit the mute button, and only listen to the pol. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for your kind remarks, Randel. I work hard on these articles to bring a different perspective on the news that the news media seems to ignore.
I have the advantage over the MSM in that I only write about things I like and that I know a lot about. They don’t have that luxury. Also, writing as a columnist has the advantage of being able to give an opinion rather than just report the news.
I agree, Randel.
Did you notice the absence of debate among presidential candidates about government funds squandered to promote the fable of CO2-induced global warming (AGW)?
And the impact of pinching off the tailpipe of our economic engine and transferring jobs overseas to emit the same CO2?
Yesterday the NY Times suggested that the unemployment figures may not be released until after the election, on Tue, 6 Nov 2012
I did notice global warming has not been mentioned in the campaign and commented on it in a couple articles I’ve written.
Superstorm Sandy will seriously revive the global warming debate for the CAGW crowd.
I think it reasonable that report, due Friday, will be delayed because of Sandy.
Again, I express appreciation for your efforts. We are all in the current mess together, and our survival probably depends on our ability to escape the ego cage and work together.
Selfishness is the root problem that has almost destroyed our government and other social and economic systems worldwide: http://omanuel.wordpress.com/about/#comment-1615
With deep regrets,
– Oliver K. Manuel
Former NASA Principal
Investigator for Apollo
A representative form of government depends on the ability of elected officials to work together. There has been none of that in this Presidency so far and, sadly, likely won’t be under this President. President Obama has proved to be far more dividing than uniting.
Congress, of course, deserves blame too but Congressmen are followers and the leadership at the top drives legislative action.
We only seem to be driven further apart, not brought closer together. 😦
Thank you for being objective. I frequently reference your site. I value what you post here and recommend it to others. I also share it on Facebook and Twitter. I hope you continue to do what you are doing, it is a great help. Thanks again.
Thanks for your kind remarks. I do have thoughts and am not bashful about expressing them. It is important to be able to support ideas with facts if they are to be believed. I like to think the ideas expressed here are derived after careful consideration of all relevant facts.
Your site is still in the Best of All categories. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for saying so… I put a lot of energy into the articles to make them accurate.
Still the best site going. I wished mine could have been as good as yours. For some reason WordPress out of the blue no longer uses my gravatar, but I am always reading yours and pointing folks in this direction.
Sigh, another good blog to start reading.
I gave up on the MSM propaganda outlets because of the extreme bias.
If you have not looked at John Williams site shadow stats, I suggest starting with: http://www.shadowstats.com/article/employment
Thanks for your kind remark… I think. 😉
We are all in this mess together. Now we will hang together or we will die separately.
From 50+ years of measurements, it is overwhelmingly evident the Sun:
1. Made our elements
2. Birthed the solar system 5 Ga ago
3. Sustained the origin and evolution of life after 3.5 Ga ago.
From the combined research careers of my mentor – the late Paul Kazuo Kuroda – and me, it is also obvious that FEAR of nuclear annihilation convinced world leaders and scientists in 1945 to hide the source of energy (E) stored as mass (m) in cores of heavy atoms, stars, galaxies and some planets.
Just recently I also realized that the invisible force fields emanated from the Sun’s pulsar core may explain the “spiritual” forces of our ancestors.
But there is great reluctance to hear a scientific basis for spirituality, and my abrasive manner is a great handicap in getting out the message.
Your candid advice/suggestions would be appreciated.
Oliver K. Manuel
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