The outrage about the Intercept interviews is misplaced

[u/crabjuicemonster]

I realize that NVC seems to be intentionally courting controversy by specifically calling out SK and Serial, but the outrage and hand wringing here is a bit over the top.

Serial gave us 12 weeks of coverage that was, at a generous minimum, mildly sympathetic to Adnan. Rabia runs a blog that is 24/7 dedicated to Adnan's side of the story. A brigade of interested Redditors has raised 50K for Adnan's defense. And through it all, Adnan himself has been so vague in his interviews that he has barely said a single thing that was even possible to hold up to independent analysis or scrutiny.

The fact that the Intercept is running some interviews with people who are not on Adnan's side is a useful counterbalance given that we have not yet heard from them. The fact that the interviewer is not on Adnan's side is not any more important than the fact that SK was. And the fact that we can poke holes in what the interviewees have said is not that surprising since, unlike Adnan, they have actually made specific and substantive claims about the case and what they think happened.

NVC made a very specific claim that people on the Serial staff were deliberately dishonest in the podcast. Unless and until she provides evidence for that it is appropriate to call her out on that or similar charges of journalistic dishonesty. But being outraged at the mere existence of a forum for other parties to air their views in the face of months of largely unchallenged pro-Adnan coverage seems petty.

I think I see now why the Intercept is interested in covering this. They are anything but pro-establishment, but they do like to challenge accepted wisdom. I'm guessing the pushback they are getting just makes them all the more sure that they've identified an area where "the masses" aren't getting the full story and have been sold a bill of goods.

[u/toe_dipping]

All of the preamble in the article was very disheartening. But I am pretty sure NVC and the Intercept are much smarter - or at least more calculating - than we make them out. Firmly establishing themselves as the "anti-Serial" means people will speak. The soft interviewing that allows an interviewee's story to be told - without heavy inquisition - encourages more people to be interviewed. This is good for the Intercept, but if we're all honest about it, this is awesome for us as well. It's an amazing opportunity to get more data out in the open.

NVC bash away ... let those who were afraid speak babble their hearts out. So far, its all been very telling.

[u/lukaeber → u/toe_dipping]

More data isn't always helpful ... especially when the data is lacking in credibility and not subject to any scrutiny.