ITAN: Intellectually Toxic Anecdotal Nonsense Problems

There is a disturbing pattern, not just in the Environmental Movement, but probably across all social communication, propped up by ever weaker journalism editorial systems.

Someone publishes an article, or a paper. Take the 2002 Basel Action Network's "Exporting Harm" paper on the river samples of Guiyu, China. 

1. Basel Action Network publishes the paper with a photo of a child sitting on circuit board scrap (posed upon, film major Jim Puckett admitted to me personally, though Jim seems to forget everything he admits over the years).

2. The White Paper makes an assertion that "80%" of used electronics and scrap is exported to places like Guiyu.

3. The White Paper makes an assertion that "80%" (of the 80% above? unclear) is managed improperly in so-called "primitive" conditions.

Three Legged Journalism: Reporter + Source + Editor > Blogger

While on summer vacation at my parents place in rural Arkansas (Buffalo National River, the only river managed by the US Department of the Interior - please don't issue mining and fracking rights here), I have a chance to reflect on journalism, and my critiques of lopsided and inaccurate reporting over the years.

Talking with Mom on the apparent loudness of politics, and tribal journalism, and bias confirmation... We settled on risk analysis, and how so many people believe in conspiracy theories.

Around here in the Ozarks, the "deep state" conspiracy is admittedly popular. I was informed yesterday (indirectly from a confidential source) that a contractor lady for Mom - sweet gal, hard worker - informed her that the Republican staff and White House lawyers who testified to Representative Thompson and Cheney's January 6 Investigation committee were "paid" to testify against Trump.  By whom? Didn't get to ask.

Now I do know on firsthand that this can happen.  Conspiracies can definitely happen. But the rumors of conspiracy travel halfway around the world while the Truth is still waking up to a hangover.

"Going Out On a Limb" however is a lot easier for a blogger than it is for an institution. It is rare that a blogger like myself should be a better source than any of the journalism institutions or international agencies that gave Anane's wildfire story on illegal e-waste dumping the oxygen to burn people like Joe "Hurricane" Benson. So today I'll reflect on how rarely anti-conspiracy experts get it right.