Specifically, I think people by default read this post as an example of good epistemic practice in a community built around good epistemic practice. In this case, though, I think the prior bad epistemic practice (not waiting for full information before publishing a highly consequential piece aimed at inflicting reputational damage on someone) is significant enough and bad enough that emphasizing a plan to update after the fact should be viewed primarily through the lens of damage control.
The standard with this sort of investigative piece should be to gather information of this nature prior to publication to whatever extent possible, where updating on new information after-the-fact is praiseworthy only if that information was not realistically knowable prior to publication.
You’re correct that it’s better than being wrong but not acknowledging it, but I think that’s a well-established standard in this sphere and there’s a stronger need to update based on the importance of gathering relevant information prior to publication.
emphasizing a plan to update after the fact should be viewed primarily through the lens of damage control.
Is anyone acting like that is not a damage control measure? I upvoted specifically because “do damage control” is better than “don’t”. Usually when I see a hit piece, and later there are a bunch of inaccuracies that come to light, I don’t in fact see that damage control done afterwards.
Also I think this kind of within-tribe conflict gets lots of attention within the EA and LW social sphere. I expect that if Ben publishes corrections a bunch of people will read them.
My read is that many people still consider the publication of the original post to be prudent and responsible given the circumstances, while any updates based on information that comes to light here will be prudent and responsible given the new information. Instead, I think people should view the original post as imprudent and irresponsible to the extent that it did not give one side of an adversarial situation an adequate hearing-out (and it really seems like it didn’t: a three-hour phone call where you misleadingly summarize their response as “Good summary!”, then refuse to wait until they can provide a more substantive response, is extraordinarily bad practice given the hundreds of hours he mentions putting into the rest of the investigation), with any subsequent updates being judged as returning towards responsibility after the fact rather than continuing a pattern of prudence.
Specifically, I think people by default read this post as an example of good epistemic practice in a community built around good epistemic practice. In this case, though, I think the prior bad epistemic practice (not waiting for full information before publishing a highly consequential piece aimed at inflicting reputational damage on someone) is significant enough and bad enough that emphasizing a plan to update after the fact should be viewed primarily through the lens of damage control.
The standard with this sort of investigative piece should be to gather information of this nature prior to publication to whatever extent possible, where updating on new information after-the-fact is praiseworthy only if that information was not realistically knowable prior to publication.
You’re correct that it’s better than being wrong but not acknowledging it, but I think that’s a well-established standard in this sphere and there’s a stronger need to update based on the importance of gathering relevant information prior to publication.
Is anyone acting like that is not a damage control measure? I upvoted specifically because “do damage control” is better than “don’t”. Usually when I see a hit piece, and later there are a bunch of inaccuracies that come to light, I don’t in fact see that damage control done afterwards.
Also I think this kind of within-tribe conflict gets lots of attention within the EA and LW social sphere. I expect that if Ben publishes corrections a bunch of people will read them.
My read is that many people still consider the publication of the original post to be prudent and responsible given the circumstances, while any updates based on information that comes to light here will be prudent and responsible given the new information. Instead, I think people should view the original post as imprudent and irresponsible to the extent that it did not give one side of an adversarial situation an adequate hearing-out (and it really seems like it didn’t: a three-hour phone call where you misleadingly summarize their response as “Good summary!”, then refuse to wait until they can provide a more substantive response, is extraordinarily bad practice given the hundreds of hours he mentions putting into the rest of the investigation), with any subsequent updates being judged as returning towards responsibility after the fact rather than continuing a pattern of prudence.