Have had a few pet projects in the past around RSS aggregation/news reading, which could fact-check the sources/article while reading, also determining the biases from the grammar and linguistic patterns used by the journalist for the article. Same could be applied to comments.

Wonder if such a feature had value for a reader app for Lemmy? I feel a definitive score is toxic. But, if it were to simply display the variables to look out for it can help make a objective decision yourself?

Another application of this, is also pulling just the objective statements in the articles for faster reading.

Edit: More explained in this comment: https://lemmy.world/comment/1524807

  • ElectroVagrant@lemmy.worldM
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    1 year ago

    I don’t really think this can be effectively handled by automated mechanisms tbh. If it could it might be nice, but this is tackling a social problem with a technical solution, and typically those don’t really jive, in large part because the technical solutions make the mistake of supposing an original creative position of null bias or objectivity. Alternatively, they stem from a position of overestimation of one’s knowledge and/or abilities related to subjects that they don’t in fact know much about nor have much experience in.

    For example, how would this kind of software handle a case in which the facts are not fully known yet (much less the more esoteric matter of what even makes a fact)? Similarly, how would you define a bias such that it could determine the biases, and ensure that the bias determination remained accurate over time or locality (biases are notorious for changing over time and varying by place)?

    This kind of software would demand not only software/programming folks but also sociologists and philosophers for handling both surveying to assess & try to define biases as well as facts and parsing the ethical impacts of making those assessments, definitions, & determinations. You’d also probably want more specialists in fields I’m unaware of or forgetting at the moment to really thoroughly handle this kind of project. Anything less, I’d argue, would result in a blunder of a project and be rather irresponsible, to say the least.

    • pexavc@lemmy.worldOP
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      1 year ago

      From your first paragraph, was wondering (kind of, but not related to the OP). If there is an obvious variable around education that was physically experienced how can one incorporate tech (if it’s their only tools available) to safely address the problem while being aware of original creative position of null bias or objectivity. Alternatively, they stem from a position of overestimation of one’s knowledge and/or abilities related to subjects that they don’t in fact know much about nor have much experience in.. Especially when they do not have the resources to gather data at the scale needed from every sociologist/philosopher of different focus, culture/subculture. Or the ability to be a part of higher education where you might meet people of this caliber?

      Edit: I guess threads like these are a way of doing it, to be honest. But, then comes that variable of verifying. I am viewing life as if it needs to be fully merit based