In Wiley’s morality play the “virtuous” will starve in a pointless effort, while the non-virtuous stupid take other bait. Prudent skeptics aren’t in the picture. That’s about right.
Dear tech writer: I seldom offer bona fides, but I’ll make an exception in respect of your pretentiousness.
For bona fides, I was a newspaper journalist from 1969 to 1999, edited a small seven-day daily, and hired and trained dozens of reporters and subordinate editors. I was known for precision, for uncommonly low errata rates, and for aggressive reporting, being sued four times for libel and winning all four cases by summary judgment, three of them against lawyer plaintiffs, two of them judges. My reporting portfolio included an exposé of a U.S. Senator, a series of reports about illicit wiretapping by Cincinnati Bell and a litany of police agencies, and the first exposé in the Cincinnati region of sexual abuse or boys by Catholic priests. Precision of meaning mattered acutely. My command of nuance was never in doubt. Since leaving journalism I have written and edited extensively for units of local government. I rewrite badly crafted laws for clarity and brevity. I write publicity as needed for elected and appointed officials.
Before becoming a full-time journalist, I learned as a junior U.S. Army officer that quibbling is attempted deception without misstating facts. I don’t think you understand the concept. Quibbling is dishonorable.
My family has a saying: Don’t try to teach your grandmother how to milk ducks.
In Wiley’s morality play the “virtuous” will starve in a pointless effort, while the non-virtuous stupid take other bait. Prudent skeptics aren’t in the picture. That’s about right.