Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Drum Piece –“Sorting fact from anecdote”

My Drum piece today is on a few things, but mainly the ongoing call that a wages break-out is imminent. Rather oddly this ongoing call occurs despite all evidence failing to support it. But such is the way of the work in this era where facts just seem to get in the way.

I also reference Dickens' Hard Times. It is not may favourite of his works though. My top 3 of his novels would be:

  1. David Copperfield
  2. Great Expectations
  3. Bleak House

I have a few on the shelf waiting to be read – Little Dorrit is the next most likely. The problem is that Dickens’ works are generally on the weighty side and I am finding it harder and harder to find the time to read the big tomes.

In other news, in Crikey today Derryn Hinch was giving his views on good journalism. His response contained this line:

I don’t read amateur blogs, I read the real blogs

“Real” obviously no longer means what it used to….

8 comments:

Adriana Johnson said...

Thank you for the book tips I look foward to some reading time after March in a class that is taking much of my time.

Oolon Colluphid said...

I think the distinction between anecdotes and facts is a bit off — a lot of anecdotes are facts, the thing that makes them inadmissable is not their falsehood but that they lack context. (They usually also lack verifiability, but I don't think that was your point.)

Greg Jericho said...

Oolon, you're right anecdotes can be factual, but I guess it is more a case of not being the whole truth. As I write in the piece the problem with them is that "the part does not always represent the whole."

Caesar Wong said...

Or rather, "blogs" doesn't seem to mean what it used to any more...

zmkc said...

Our Mutual Friend's great too

Greg Jericho said...

zmkc - yep Our Mutual Friend is on the list of to read as well. (another thumper of a read)

Anonymous said...

I've just finished reading Little Dorrit. It's a very timely read with reference to governance and power.
Lyn

Anonymous said...

Just like the often used 'he/she doesn't live in the real world'.