Two recent articles on Linkedin reinforce the need for a “better system” for a national discussion on various issues.

• Why Facts Don’t Change Our Minds. New discoveries about the human mind show the limitations of reason. New Yorker magazine, By Elizabeth Kolbert

• Trials by Gossip, by Ray Dalio, Published on January 8, 2018

  Although imperfect, the U.S. justice system manages facts (evidence), allows for debate between the pros (prosecutor) and cons (defense) which then allows a jury to arrive at a decision.  The Judge and appellate courts help ensure objectivity as much as possible. People have to have trust in the system. Surveys indicate that people do not have much trust in the mainstream media

  Ideally, to “avoid” trials by gossip, journalists could take the lead in developing better standards.  A first step would be to improve their knowledge of variation.  For example, the majority of headlines that refer to numerical information are wrong or misleading at best.

  Self-Assessment – Knowledge of Variation