Yeah, I agree. This writer is very honest. Journalism in their view is about advocacy. I don’t agree with that and when people tell me what to think - I become very skeptical but to each their own. I appreciate the honesty. Shout out to Bari Weiss - she does interesting work and people should go check her out at the Free Press!
I never tell people what to think, nor do I say that in this article. I come to conclusions based on available evidence and I present those conclusions to the reader. Again, that's the function of journalism, and to just recite facts without doing that is rudderless. It's also what Bari Weiss does, in fact. When she publishes these accounts of whistleblowers she is advocating against trans health care for minors. It might just feel a little different because you agree with her. Every journalist comes to a story with baseline beliefs they incorporate into a story. Mine are that trans people should have access to healthcare. That is not the case with Bari Weiss. The difference between she and I is that I don't believe in publishing stories when the primary subjects call them factually untrue unless I have a ton of hard evidence to back my conclusion up.
I don’t think she was advocating against trans healthcare and I don’t either. I advocate for being prudent and science based and dealing with all of the impacts. For example, kids who don’t have gender dysphoria seemed to be harmed by getting gender affirming care. The medical community needs to be very careful about what kids get this care. Schools need to be careful in their approach. There are many issues to talk about.
I do think that gender dysphoric kids are harmed by not having access to the care they need. I would assume we agree on that point. I also think kids with issues, other than gender dysphoria, are harmed by being provided gender affirming care. That’s the rub.
This is what Bari keeps purporting to have uncovered: some kind of real demonstrable harm. But in the case of Washington University, it’s the word of one whistleblower without any support from families against about a dozen families who actually received care there.
And again, in this most recent case, the person receiving treatment disputes the claims. I agree that the medical community needs to careful. But neither of these articles demonstrate the lack of care that they claim to.
Alex, this was really cool to read. I always enjoyed your willingness to build the puncturing of your assumptions into stories, it’s a demonstration of your curiosity and your integrity.
Same! It had this vibe of “well, I am really old and out of touch with what’s cool these days” mixed with “...I would have totally wanted to go to a gathering like that but would have never been able to get past my social anxiety in high school.” It was an interesting episode, more so that it focused on the people who went instead of who they were there to see. It didn’t really matter who threw the party, they were just there to hang out. Like going to a concert with friends even though you don’t care that much about the band. Sometimes the crowd is more memorable than the band.
As a journalist exiled from the field way back in the Great Recession, it frustrates the crap out of me to see one-sided garbage like Yoffe’s story. And I feel better reading your meditations on the issue, only because I know you learned it and you taught it so others understand too.
i wouldn’t be against it! just subscribed for free, going to see if the newsletter jives with my routine before i make a decision. happy to see you writing, Alex
Well, the title of this freaked me the fuck out.
This is a really interesting piece! Thank you, it's really cool to see behind the curtain 💙
Yeah, I agree. This writer is very honest. Journalism in their view is about advocacy. I don’t agree with that and when people tell me what to think - I become very skeptical but to each their own. I appreciate the honesty. Shout out to Bari Weiss - she does interesting work and people should go check her out at the Free Press!
I never tell people what to think, nor do I say that in this article. I come to conclusions based on available evidence and I present those conclusions to the reader. Again, that's the function of journalism, and to just recite facts without doing that is rudderless. It's also what Bari Weiss does, in fact. When she publishes these accounts of whistleblowers she is advocating against trans health care for minors. It might just feel a little different because you agree with her. Every journalist comes to a story with baseline beliefs they incorporate into a story. Mine are that trans people should have access to healthcare. That is not the case with Bari Weiss. The difference between she and I is that I don't believe in publishing stories when the primary subjects call them factually untrue unless I have a ton of hard evidence to back my conclusion up.
I don’t think she was advocating against trans healthcare and I don’t either. I advocate for being prudent and science based and dealing with all of the impacts. For example, kids who don’t have gender dysphoria seemed to be harmed by getting gender affirming care. The medical community needs to be very careful about what kids get this care. Schools need to be careful in their approach. There are many issues to talk about.
I do think that gender dysphoric kids are harmed by not having access to the care they need. I would assume we agree on that point. I also think kids with issues, other than gender dysphoria, are harmed by being provided gender affirming care. That’s the rub.
This is what Bari keeps purporting to have uncovered: some kind of real demonstrable harm. But in the case of Washington University, it’s the word of one whistleblower without any support from families against about a dozen families who actually received care there.
https://missouriindependent.com/2023/03/01/transgender-st-louis-whistleblower/
And again, in this most recent case, the person receiving treatment disputes the claims. I agree that the medical community needs to careful. But neither of these articles demonstrate the lack of care that they claim to.
I loved this - thank you. Cool to hear stories from the graveyard.
Alex, this was really cool to read. I always enjoyed your willingness to build the puncturing of your assumptions into stories, it’s a demonstration of your curiosity and your integrity.
Fwiw, I really enjoyed Who's Going? (though it may have just been relief at no longer being 17).
Same! It had this vibe of “well, I am really old and out of touch with what’s cool these days” mixed with “...I would have totally wanted to go to a gathering like that but would have never been able to get past my social anxiety in high school.” It was an interesting episode, more so that it focused on the people who went instead of who they were there to see. It didn’t really matter who threw the party, they were just there to hang out. Like going to a concert with friends even though you don’t care that much about the band. Sometimes the crowd is more memorable than the band.
Please share snippets of interviews snipped together with voice modification so it is untraceable to the interviewee
As a journalist exiled from the field way back in the Great Recession, it frustrates the crap out of me to see one-sided garbage like Yoffe’s story. And I feel better reading your meditations on the issue, only because I know you learned it and you taught it so others understand too.
Are you sure you don’t want to see one sided stories that align with your own views?
naval gazing... just staring at boats today. life on the open waters...
Im going to assume this comment means that you very much want to become a paid subscriber
i wouldn’t be against it! just subscribed for free, going to see if the newsletter jives with my routine before i make a decision. happy to see you writing, Alex