Outside the Groupthink

Handy-Dandy Tool for News Analysis

This one hurts a little bit, guys. I really like the content of some of the people I am criticizing. But if we are going to say “this is not a football game,” we also need to examine how we evaluate information and opinions.

Number One - Reporting or Opinion?

Both Glen Greenwald and Katrina van den Heuvel are outstanding reporters. It’s their commentary that isn’t so solid.

Glen Greenwald

Glen Greenwald is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist. His reporting is world-changing, and the results are all over my privacy certification class, as only one example.

But so many outstanding reporters don’t just report - they also comment. Glen Greenwald is also one for commenting. He called President Biden’s cautions about a Russian invasion of the Ukraine “reckless words.”

Katrina van den Heuvel

Katrina van den Heuvel has numerous reporting and writing accomplishments: the Norman Mailer Prize, Callaway Prize for the Defense of the Right to Privacy from the New York Civil Liberties Union, Plan…