Observations
  • Home
  • Observations
  • Trendcasting
  • Odds 'n Ends
  • Science/Technology/Experiments
  • Mental Health

Observation, Inference, and context...

2/13/2012

0 Comments

 
Picture
While watching the local news I noticed that the understanding of the story line required somewhat of a leap of faith on my part. It was impossible to know exactly what was fact and what was shear guesswork on the part of the reporter. And, I realize that it is the media's responsibility to report the news and at the same time engage the reader/viewer. But, it became clear that I really could not tell fact from speculation. The story was simple in that a car had been located along the side of a back road and it contained a body. Although the reporter stated that she had limited information about what had happened, she went on with the story anyway. "Police will not say whether or not it was a suicide, accidental death, or some other cause for the mysterious death". So, with this tragic story, I had to ask some questions about what I should know to watch this kind of reporting which seems fairly typical.
First, there is an observation which is defined as information gained through some or all of the five senses. It can be qualitative, "there is a body in the car here on the back road " or quantitative, "there is a male body in a blue sedan, located on Green street one mile from the Watson bridge. From there, I can make an inference, about several possibilities including murder. For example, if I step outside my front door and the grass is wet, I can infer that it had rained, the sprinklers had been on, there was dew on the grass, or other reasons. An inference is a possibility based on information and prior background knowledge. But, it does not allow certainty without more information and context.
The reporter then went on to really add fluff to the story by interviewing a neighbor who did not see the car or the body, and had no valid information. "There are a lot of hunters around here and cars are always going too fast. This never happens around here". It would have been better for the reporter to have simply said that a car had been found with a body inside and we have no further information. Then tell me tomorrow what happened with certainty.
It seems that we have become familiar with, and comfortable living in a world filled with ambiguity. I believe that we could live as well with less, speculation, rumor, and guesswork. As Yogi Berra said "You can observe a lot by just watching".


0 Comments
    Picture


    An observer of life and our changing times-Ken

    .

    Categories

    All
    Advertising
    Aspirin
    Car Crashes
    Change
    China
    Corn Ethanol
    Custome Service
    Dancing Bears
    Drunk Drivers
    Dunkin's
    E-Cards
    Evolution
    Experts?
    Failure
    Free
    Good Egg
    Hackers And Crackers
    Internet Radio
    Internet Size
    Layaway
    Listeria
    Manufacturing
    Misleading Medical Reports
    Monopoly 2.0
    Multitasking
    Nature
    Needs
    Noise
    Nurture
    Observation And Inference
    Online Credit Card Fraud
    Online Learning
    Political Circus
    Political Double Speak
    Reality Television
    Search Engines
    Talent
    Term Limits
    Violence
    Wants
    Youtube

    Archives

    June 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    March 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    August 2019
    April 2019
    October 2018
    April 2018
    December 2017
    September 2017
    July 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011

    Categories

    All
    Advertising
    Aspirin
    Car Crashes
    Change
    China
    Corn Ethanol
    Custome Service
    Dancing Bears
    Drunk Drivers
    Dunkin's
    E-Cards
    Evolution
    Experts?
    Failure
    Free
    Good Egg
    Hackers And Crackers
    Internet Radio
    Internet Size
    Layaway
    Listeria
    Manufacturing
    Misleading Medical Reports
    Monopoly 2.0
    Multitasking
    Nature
    Needs
    Noise
    Nurture
    Observation And Inference
    Online Credit Card Fraud
    Online Learning
    Political Circus
    Political Double Speak
    Reality Television
    Search Engines
    Talent
    Term Limits
    Violence
    Wants
    Youtube

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.