Undoubtedly a stupid idea, but haven’t heard it anywhere else.
I tried to give Newsweek a chance. I know how real fairness sounds from long experience with old radio. Newsweek failed the test quickly and decisively.
In real production of cars or soap or software, real companies hire beta testers to wring out the bugs BEFORE starting production.
Journalists could hire people like me, people who can quickly spot bias in specific topics, to Murphy their articles. I could Murphy on the Soviet system, the New Deal, and “global warming”. Somebody else might be the best Murphy on fashion and Latin American politics. Another could judge Hollywood entertainment and banking. The Murphies wouldn’t be judging all articles in real time; we would train the editors BEFORE they started turning out crappy products.
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Later and better: It’s definitely a stupid idea. It would be the same as academic Peer Review, certifying orthodoxy instead of guarding against orthodoxy. Journalists wouldn’t hire opponents, and wouldn’t listen to opponents.
Polistra's Mill 