Joho the Blog » Transparency is the new objectivity
http://www.hyperorg.com/blogger/2009/07/19/transparency-is-the-new-objectivity

"..Objectivity without transparency increasingly will look like arrogance. And then foolishness. Why should we trust what one person — with the best of intentions — insists is true when we instead could have a web of evidence, ideas, and argument?.."

Interesting post about bloggers, journalism, and how we require the abiliity to peer through an author's thoughts to dig at the sourcs of their [objective] arguments.

David Weinberger explains a phrase he coined: "transparency is the new objectivity."

"Objectivity used be presented as a stopping point for belief: If the source is objective and well-informed, you have sufficient reason to believe. [...] We thought that that was how knowledge works, but it turns out that it’s really just how paper works. [...] Objectivity is a trust mechanism you rely on when your medium can’t do links"

"In fact, transparency subsumes objectivity. Anyone who claims objectivity should be willing to back that assertion up by letting us look at sources, disagreements, and the personal assumptions and values supposedly bracketed out of the report. Objectivity without transparency increasingly will look like arrogance. And then foolishness. Why should we trust what one person — with the best of intentions — insists is true when we instead could have a web of evidence, ideas, and argument? In short: Objectivity is a trust mechanism you rely on when your medium can’t do links. Now our medium can."

David Weinberger - his keynote at Open Government and Innovation conference draws on this post

[Blog entry] via elanguage