Enemies of Reason Poundshop potshots at the media moral maze.

Links for July 1

It's July already! Mm, isn't it? Nearly halfway through the year, a half-year full of treats and delights. I'll be back later, but in the meantime here are some other things I've read and enjoyed of late, and which you might like to read and enjoy as well.

Sarah Ditum - Mail in 'against libel' shock:

What’s really interesting is how the Mail bend Singh into their own ongoing narratives. Before you even get into the body copy, just in the headline, Singh has been labelled as the “brave scientist” going up against an implaccable system – just as Andrew Wakefield was a “brave scientist” when the Mail was generating vaccine terror. The medical evidence is presented in standard ‘debate’ style: the chiropractors claims are balanced with a neutral “However, many in the traditional medical profession view the therapy with deep suspicion.”

Ben Goldacre - Steve Connor is an angry man. Independent journalist Steve Connor gets all snotty about Ben & chums criticising science journos for making factual errors, but unfortunately for him slightly undermines his case by, er, making a few factual errors. Oopsy!

Angry Mob - Comments, arguments and political allegiances:

The good thing about the majority of blogs is that comments are freely published even if they contradict, correct or outright mock what is actually written by the blogger. Furthermore, unlike the Daily Mail - which not only censors entire posts, but also edits criticism to turn it into praise - bloggers sometimes take the time to respond to criticism or counter-arguments, creating an interaction whereby the reader's contribution becomes valued. Whereas Richard Littlejohn might steal a phrase from his commenters, he will never engage with any of the arguments put forward (largely because he is not capable of arguing a point).

I'm also saddened to hear, via that post, of the disappearance of Alone in the Dark, whom I will miss greatly.

Five Chinese Crackers - But the Express likes sharia law:

Obviously, the Express is outraged. The Express is usually outraged at what Muslims are doing, often to the point of exaggerating it and making extra stuff up so it sounds more scary.
But not always - at least in relation to sharia law. Just under a year ago, the paper was busy bigging up the sharia legal system and publishing, in full, a letter from a prominent sharia supporter to the Home Secretary, which outlined in stark terms how much the sharia system in the country he lives in is better than the system we have in Britain.

If you don't know who wrote that letter, you'll be mighty surprised to find out the answer!

Lady McScamp - Mail gives up on journalism, articles now sourced from comments. Does what it says on the tin.

Daily Quail - Crusading Muslims forcibly convert white cherub:

Whispering silver-tongued incantations of terror into the bewildered child's ear, Sean appears enraptured by the militant preacher as a frighteningly hatted extremist looks on wide-eyed, ready to prevent an attempted escape with his barbed claws [not shown].

Obsolete - Girls Scream Alone. A thorough analysis of the botched prosecution of a slash blogger.

Skepchick - Don't abuse your kids, unless...

It is never okay to neglect a child’s health. Crank’s daughter died with a “tumor the size of a basketball” on her shoulder. It does not matter what religion Crank is and how many other people in the world buy into the same delusion, and it doesn’t matter how long ago her holy books were written. If Jesus Himself descended from the heavens and knocked on Crank’s door accompanied by a choir of angels and the Pope and Moses and Bill Donohue and a crowd of paparazzi, and commanded her to withhold medical treatment from her daughter, it is Crank’s duty as a parent to kick Jesus in the sack and go to the hospital. If she doesn’t, she is not fit to be a parent or a free human being.

And that's about it for now.

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