I want to make a small addition to Austin’s post on the comments policy.
We’re a data driven blog. You will see few posts, if any, that make claims that are not backed up by evidence or data. Almost all of what we write comes from our interpretation of publicly available data or peer-reviewed studies. We endeavor to be explicit about our sources; if we’re not, we expect to be called on it.
There is no quicker way to get us to ignore your comments that to begin with, “I have no source for the following, but…”
Well, strike that, the even quicker way to get us to dismiss your comment is to go with, “I see your data and studies, but I’m going to ignore them because I just know you’re wrong.” You are entitled to your opinion; don’t expect us to engage it.
We are reasonable people. We reserve the right to change our minds when confronted with new information. Therefore, we welcome your coming to us with studies or data you believe support your comments. I can only speak for myself (but believe Austin would agree) when I say that my posts reflect my understanding of things to the best of my knowledge. If you show me I am wrong, I will say so. But you must convince me. You can’t just say that I’m wrong, well, because.
