You really can’t make this up:
Ezra Klein: "Washington is a cesspool of faux-experts who do bad research." http://t.co/RE02Sqp61d
— The Atlantic (@TheAtlantic) September 19, 2014
An excerpt:
Drawing on nine years in the nation’s capitol, Klein acknowledges one class of obstacles. “Washington is a cesspool of faux-experts who do bad research (or no research),” he explained, “but retain their standing by dint of affiliations, connections, or charisma.” Sweet validation! I’ve often suspected that official Washington is populated by enough disingenuous, misinformation-spreading hucksters to fill an underground container of organic waste. No one has better standing to render this judgment than Klein, whose earnest, tireless embrace of deep-in-the-weeds wonkery is unsurpassed in his generation. He wouldn’t assert a whole cesspool of intellectual waste product without having seen plenty of specific examples.
“No one has a better standing to render this judgment than Klein”? LOLOLOLOL!
And:
In contrast, Vox, the digital-journalism startup that Klein runs with Melissa Bell and Matthew Yglesias, specializes in digging deep into the wonky details of most domestic debates that major D.C. institutions research (or pretend to research). Its staffers are fantastically talented.
“Fantastically talented staffers”? LOLOLOLOL!
Keep in mind this is the same Ezra Klein who employs the “fantastically talented” Zach Beauchamp who once wrote that there was a (non-existent) bridge connecting the Gaza Strip to the West Bank. And the same Beauchamp who urged caution when reporting that an anti-aircraft missile had brought down Malaysia Airlines flight 17 in Ukraine.
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Or how about the many other examples where Vox’s “fantastically talented” ‘splainers have been questioned, like here, here, here and here. If these don’t constitute reporting from a cesspool, what does?
Some of the reaction to Ezra’s insight:
https://twitter.com/ProNaif/status/513114909576822784
https://twitter.com/alecpuente/status/513114983857926144
What does he know? He's part of the problem, never worth reading – "Washington Is a Cesspool of Faux-Experts "http://t.co/DFnUGDJHPl
— Hunter Hustus (@HunterHustus) September 20, 2014
@JohnEkdahl @TheAtlantic isn't that Vox's mission statement? "We strive to form a cesspool of faux experts, producing bad research."
— Darrick Johnson (@darrickjohnson) September 20, 2014
https://twitter.com/cshenkel/status/513116793833930753
In summary, D.C. is “cesspool” of faux-experts, except not Ezra’s faux-experts. His faux-experts smell like roses, not sewage.
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