Scott Alexander addresses reactions to his claim that media rarely lies, exploring different interpretations of 'lying' and examining specific cases of alleged media deception. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the reactions to his previous posts about media rarely lying, addressing various criticisms and examples provided by commenters. He explores different interpretations of 'lying', examines specific cases of alleged media deception, and reiterates his position that while media often misleads or reasons poorly, it rarely engages in outright fabrication of facts. Scott also reflects on the nature of conspiracy theories and the importance of understanding how people can genuinely believe false things. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander argues against broadening the definitions of words like 'lie' and 'abuse', as it dilutes their meaning and reduces their usefulness in identifying problematic behavior. Longer summary

Scott Alexander argues against broadening the definition of words like 'lie' and 'abuse' to include less severe actions. He contends that this dilutes the meaning of these terms, making them less useful for identifying genuinely problematic behavior. The post discusses how overly broad definitions can lead to everyone being labeled as liars or abusers, which removes the stigma and informational value of these terms. Scott also explains how this can be exploited by bad actors to unfairly stigmatize others. He extends this argument to other terms like 'disabled', 'queer', and 'autistic', suggesting that while some broadening of definitions can be useful, it's never right to define a term so broadly that it applies to everyone or no one. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander examines why compelling but unlikely stories on large internet platforms are probably lies, despite our reluctance to believe so. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the prevalence of seemingly incredible stories on large internet platforms like Reddit. He proposes that, given the massive user base, even a small percentage of trolls or liars can produce numerous convincing but false stories. This principle extends to viral news stories, blog posts, and even scientific research, where the most interesting or surprising results are disproportionately likely to be false. Despite understanding this logically, Scott notes that it's psychologically difficult to dismiss these stories as lies, and he explores possible reasons for this cognitive dissonance. Shorter summary