Facts, Evidence, Wisdom, And Gossip

I’m not sure why, as a child, the TV show Dragnet captured my attention and imagination. Perhaps it was the theme song with its beat and blaring horns or perhaps it was the staccato, film-noir dialogue or the claim that the episodes . . . Continue reading →

What The Louisville And Kirk Lives Matter Narratives Tell Us About Social And News Media

Two of the many events that have roiled social and news media for the last few days seem, on the surface, about as different as one can imagine. In one case, in Louisville, KY, two white police officers, in the process of . . . Continue reading →

The 1619 Project Privileges Narrative Over Facts

According to a significant number of scholars of American history, one of the most serious weaknesses in the self-described 1619 Project, which argues that racism and slavery was a central motivation for the origin of the American Republic, is that it is factually inaccurate. Continue reading

Facts Matter

When people’s average perceptions of group sizes are compared to actual population estimates, an intriguing pattern emerges: Americans tend to vastly overestimate the size of minority groups. This holds for sexual minorities, including the proportion of gays and lesbians (estimate: 30%, true: . . . Continue reading →