Dem
51
GOP
49
For the past several weeks, we've asked readers to write in with criticisms of our 2023 work, either general, or focusing on specific items. After all, it's nice to be lauded for good work, but it's also important to try to figure out how to do better. Anyhow, here are a selection of some of those comments:
General:Specific:
- B.C. in Phoenix, AZ: I guess the only "bad job... adjacent" idea I have for the site in 2023 is a lack of serious condemnation I've seen for Bibi Netanyahu. That guy is as bad, in his own way, as most of the worst Republican politicians.
Now, I apologize up front if I've somehow missed the post where you called him a "sh**head."- D.W.B. of Waynesville, NC: Since you asked for criticism, my biggest concern/gripe is not over a particular issue or item, but in the more frequent delays and cancellations of updates in general. I am trying to be lenient about health concerns and job situations getting in the way, but I cannot help but feel that perhaps, with the big election on the horizon, maybe an extra hand or two may need to be employed to ensure delivery of product—and not just more reliance on the company dachshunds.
- D.G. in Athens, GA: Multiple items where you trashed Mike Pence and made fun of him for his religious convictions and failed to give him proper credit for his actions as VP on 1/6. I may not agree with his politics, or his religious habits, but it is clear to me that Pence is actually a good moral human being who I just disagree with on many policy items. At the penultimate peak of his career, when faced with an impossible situation, he ultimately made the right decision at great cost to his personal future aspirations in the best interest of our nation. He deserves our thanks for his actions on 1/6. He deserves our respect for being a good human being.
- J.M. in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Canada: There are posts every now and then that drive me insane, largely having to do with the framing. I (for the most part) do not think either of you tell outright lies or make stuff up. Instead, I think there are posts that engage in deceptive framing to suit a political agenda/worldview. I don't keep notes on these (I'm not THAT obsessed) but I do remember thinking your entire coverage of the situation in Afghanistan was bending over backwards to be kind to Biden.
The flipside of the framing issue, being story selection, is also not good at times. Many times I have read about some event on a Monday that seems moderately important, expect to get your take on Tuesday's post, and it just isn't there. These stories are, at least to my memory, exclusively those that paint Democrats and/or left-wing figures in general in a bad light. I don't recall any "Republican does something bad" story where you missed the opportunity to dunk on them (in many/most cases fairly), but recall several for Democrats.- J.B. in London, England, UK: Over the 18 years or so that I've been reading you, I think you've slipped from being a well-balanced platform with a slight left(ish) bias, to one that is almost completely out-and-out anti-right wing.
Fair enough, at one level; so am I. But there's a world of a difference between objective reporting and then (subjective) analysis of it, and utter hostility. Yes, TFG is risible and an obvious target, but over the past year or so, I think you've allowed your very evident and understandable disdain for him to prejudice your evaluation of everything else right wing. But to be fair, still only a little bit. You're never—I hope—going to be the Fox "News" of the left.- T.B. in Nowata, OK: The parroting of "Bad Economy" stories, especially during the first half of the year, was not good. The Republicans still plan to run on the bad economy under Joe Biden; objectivists need to be truthful. Donald Trump inherited a good economy from Barack Obama; it started faltering by late 2018 and into 2019, and then crashed in 2020 during the pandemic. Not all was Dingleberry Don's doing, but he could have lessened the sharp drop-off and better prepared the country for the supply-chain disruptions. Biden got the blame for the massive inflation, caused chiefly by product and manpower shortages as the egg moved through the snake. The infusion of cash was a small contributor to the inflation, and recall, there was a stimulus during the Trump admin, too. In the end, the economy is way better today than it was during the Trump years and those that continue to say it's not are not honest brokers. Is everyone doing better? No, but wages are rising faster than inflation, so hopefully help is on the way.
- M.A. in Park Ridge, IL: Please stop referring to my town as "Pea Ridge," IL.
- R.P. in Binghamton, NY: "The War in Israel, Part X: Genocide in Gaza?, Part I"
This is by far the worst I have seen on your site. You go through all of the indicators of genocide and still, somehow, conclude that it is not a genocide? HOW! All of the things are happening, all of the warning signs are there! The Israeli government is clearly ethnically cleansing Gaza, if not worse! Absolutely amazing to me that intelligent people like yourselves will go through all the motions and arrive at a different conclusion... It looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck bbuuuttttt by some weirdly contrived special conditions, we are going to look at this one differently. Gotcha.- D.M. in Weert, The Netherlands: The worst item you have written is the one on how the war Israel is waging in Gaza would not constitute a genocide. I am particularly thinking of the part where you said "just some statements by people in government do not constitute a policy." Nowhere in the established U.N. or other definitions is ever stated genocide needs to be a formal government policy. There are many examples of ethnic cleansing which are not formalized government policy, a cursory search on the Internet already points to Rwanda, invalidating your argument. You have tried to couch the item in how sometimes in a field established voices are wrong, and you may well end up just like those established voices. By the title of the piece, you suggested that there would be a part II whereby you would make the other case, where you would showcase how Israel's actions could constitute genocide. I have waited for some time but since no such article appeared, making it look one-sided. Therefore I believe you have a blind spot on this issue, and I would argue this item is the worst in all your items last year.
I still read your site, don't worry. For me it doesn't reflect badly on you as people. It's just a bad job.
- J.T. in Marietta, GA: I could only roll my eyes to see you repeatedly critique presidential candidates' logos and other design issues while simultaneously continuing with that dreadful masthead logo and layout. Physician, heal thyself.
- M.C. in Fresno, CA: For me, the weakest content was the publishing posts from the three anti-choice readers. Giving them a platform like this to spread their pseudo-religious nonsense used to harm women ventured into an attempt at "balance" that you often decry from other outlets.
- M.G. in Abingdon, VA: "A Fool and Their Money?, Part II: Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang."
The Elon Musk hate is misinformed and really tedious. The man is doing more than any other person to solve some of the very most pressing real physical issues facing humanity at this time in history, in particular climate change.
If we have a clean energy source like fusion or wind and solar, we still won't be able to utilize it fully if cars run on fossil fuels. But if the cars are electric, they can immediately switch from dirty coal to clean solar. It will take 20 years to replace the fleet, and Musk has pushed the whole industry hard in that direction so that the cars will be ready when the clean energy hopefully gets here.- M.R. in New Brighton, MN : My nomination for the worst of 2023 is an idea you proposed in the item entitled "Could Mongolia Teach the U.S. How to Run Elections?" It's a proposal to change the way we conduct our elections. In this scheme ballots are given a number and the voter makes a note of that number while voting. After Election Day, images of all of the ballots are posted on the Internet and they are searchable by ballot number. This would allow a voter to see their ballot and show it to others. For the first time in our history many voters would experience social pressure to show their ballot to someone, perhaps a spouse, a good friend or an employer. What effect does this have? How do I vote if I know there is somebody in my life that will want to see how I voted tomorrow?
You end the item saying that "All in all, it seems like an intriguing idea worth exploring." I beg to differ, this is quite simply a terrible idea. A secret ballot, a 100% secret ballot, is fundamental to democracy, I remain amazed that you would ever consider tossing it aside.- C.A. in West Palm Beach, FL: Not to pile on, but since you are asking, the "December to Rhymember" feature is by far the weakest item on the site. Fun features are a good thing to lighten the overall mood and I generally like the lighter/different items, but this particular item is lacking in fun and quality. They might be fun for each writer, but not so much for the reader. Snark is one thing, but a lot of the products come off as childishly derisive and not befitting the overall quality of the site. Finally, the rhymes and rhythm are often so tortured that - even if one were to overlook the silliness of the content, these works are generally painful to read. Just not good. With good hopes and spirit for the season, I usually force myself to read through the first day or two of this feature. Then I simply skip and ignore it for the rest of the month. Unfortunately, the odd submission will still catch my eye. You and your readership will be better served by transitioning this feature into something very different in the future.
We'll have some of the "Good Job" comments tomorrow. (Z)