News & Debate - The Rules

[Jason]

News & Debate Rules
These rules are in addition to any other rules here on WTF.com. If you don't read this, then it's your own damn fault. Also, if you don't agree with these rules, then don't post in this forum.

Failure to abide by these rules will result in your post being edited, deleted, or other further action. Read the goddamn rules.

July 2013 UPDATE: All news has now been wrapped into one forum, and split using thread prefixes. Unless otherwise stated, these rules below are specific to posting Headlines and Tabloids news material (that should contain a source link). General opinion discussions do NOT require a source.

• READ THE THREAD BEFORE CLICKING "REPLY". The whole thread. All of it. Failing to do so will just make you look like an idiot, and all the kids will make fun of you.
• Read your argument before hitting the reply button. Does it make sense? Are your statements researched? Can you provide proof of your claims? How's your spelling? Do you need a lobotomy? Should you be on the short bus?
• Please carefully consider your thread title. Describe what it is that can be found within your thread. Do not use thread titles such as "wtf!" or "oh shit!", or any other ridiculous titles. They will be edited, or the thread(s) removed if it's a repeat occurrence.
• The article should begin immediately without any lead-in info (Links, Author, or Time/Date stamp are unnecessary).
• Cite your material source(s) at the bottom of your thread (when applicable).
• We expect you to provide backup, in the form of arguments and/or proof, for your statements. The more controversial the statement, the more you will need to show it's true. Failure to do so will lead in you being ignored or possibly ridiculed.
• Use the search feature before you post. It's pointless to have multiple threads on the same topic. If you don't know how to search, click inside of that big search box with your keywords now!
• Do not post threads for the sole purpose of flaming one country, group, side or position. Biased articles, fine; editorial pieces aimed at certain targets, fine; but DO NOT make threads that only consist of "haha, stupid hippies LOL" or "see, France sucks". They will be deleted when we see them.
• Keep your replies/threads mature and intelligent. We don't need to hear your opinions via multiple utterings of 's and "that sucks ass." If you can't reply and discuss like a mature person, then just don't post in this forum.
• Please refrain from the use of inflammatory language or personal attacks.
• Do not troll, derail or go off-topic too much. This should be obvious.
• Please don't necro-post/bump an old/dead thread unless you have something very interesting or insightful to contribute that isn't in the thread already.

In addition...

1) Those posting wild crazy and seemingly false claims without some sort of source material just may lose their privilege to post in the News & Debates forum. That goes for people flaming in here as well. This is not Brain Droppings, or Taters and Haters. Please take your drivel to the proper place.

2) If someone says something you agree with and you just have to let the internet know that you agree, then please, do so in a way that actually ADDS something meaningful to the thread (otherwise just "like" the post). Explaining WHY you agree would be nice as well.

3) When posting a thread in here, such as a news item do NOT use the QUOTE and /QUOTE tags inside your opening threads. Please keep quote tags in this forum for ONLY subsequent replies and not the opening post/new/article. If you wish to not quote a news article, and just wish to quote a piece to make an argument or debate out of it please just use bold or italic tags and quotation MARKS (like "") to get your points across..

SPECIAL NOTE:
If you just want to discuss an issue that you talked with your friends or family about etc., you can feel free to do that here as well. Every discussion here does NOT have to have a source link unless there is one available. In that case, then you'd better use it and stick it at the bottom of your quoted article before discussion!

Otherwise if it's just "I was thinking about this abortion thing...", you may post it without an article link!

We thank you for keeping the News & Debates forum from degrading into the same idiot fodder as the rest of the internet!

 

[Jason]

How do I format my thread(s) in this forum?

We like to keep our news forums looking clean and simple. To assist us in doing so, please be sure that if you are copying/pasting any content from an external website, that you first click the button "Toggle BB Code" (in the upper right corner of our editor) before you paste your content into it. This will help remove the forced underlines, color codes, and other extraneous code that is not needed. You can also attempt to copy/paste into an external editor to format them nicely (such as Notepad++, Textpad, or a host of other editors) if you prefer.

Please also be sure to include lines breaks if for any reason they don't properly transfer over. We like a new paragraph to look like a new paragraph.

Examples:
https://www.wtf.com/threads/the-dangers-of-internet-dating.16444/
https://www.wtf.com/threads/iraq-on-the-verge-of-a-civil-war.16063/
https://www.wtf.com/threads/nasa-announces-they-have-detected-water-on-one-of-saturns-moons.16482/
https://www.wtf.com/threads/misquoting-jesus-how-the-gospels-made-a-bible-scholar-a-disbeliever.16385/
https://www.wtf.com/threads/family-may-be-a-missing-link.16422/

Clear enough?

As you can see by Jason's examples post above, His source links are below the text of the post.

So please put the source link (if there should be one available in your thread) at the bottom of the first post in every News & Debates thread! IF your post should contain a source link, make sure you include it! Quoting an external articles/story without a source link is a no-no!

 

[Jung]

Logic and you; the News & Debates poster

I’ve noticed that a lot of posters end up offering (terrible) arguments based on logical fallacies. I understand that some of you may not have graduated college yet, or maybe you have, but haven’t been educated in formal logic or the rules of debate. This is understandable; however, it does not give you free reign to go around making indefensible claims with no logical basis.

If you don’t know what this formal logic stuff is all about, I suggest you review the following sites.

What is a logical fallacy?
Wikipedia's 'List of logical fallacies'
What are some common fallacies, and how do I spot them?

Description of Fallacies

In order to understand what a fallacy is, one must understand what an argument is. Very briefly, an argument consists of one or more premises and one conclusion. A premise is a statement (a sentence that is either true or false) that is offered in support of the claim being made, which is the conclusion (which is also a sentence that is either true or false).

There are two main types of arguments: deductive and inductive. A deductive argument is an argument such that the premises provide (or appear to provide) complete support for the conclusion. An inductive argument is an argument such that the premises provide (or appear to provide) some degree of support (but less than complete support) for the conclusion. If the premises actually provide the required degree of support for the conclusion, then the argument is a good one. A good deductive argument is known as a valid argument and is such that if all its premises are true, then its conclusion must be true. If all the argument is valid and actually has all true premises, then it is known as a sound argument. If it is invalid or has one or more false premises, it will be unsound. A good inductive argument is known as a strong (or "cogent") inductive argument. It is such that if the premises are true, the conclusion is likely to be true.

A fallacy is, very generally, an error in reasoning. This differs from a factual error, which is simply being wrong about the facts. To be more specific, a fallacy is an "argument" in which the premises given for the conclusion do not provide the needed degree of support. A deductive fallacy is a deductive argument that is invalid (it is such that it could have all true premises and still have a false conclusion). An inductive fallacy is less formal than a deductive fallacy. They are simply "arguments" which appear to be inductive arguments, but the premises do not provided enough support for the conclusion. In such cases, even if the premises were true, the conclusion would not be more likely to be true.

 

[Jason]

About Thread Prefixes
When posting threads, you will be given a choice of prefix to select for your post.

Here are your current choices:

Discuss

This is when you are primarily looking for debate or discuss, and doesn't necessarily need to have source links.​

Headlines

Generally more serious-toned news and debate (war, abortion, etc.)​

Offbeat

Various odd, strange, unusual, or fun news articles and stories that are "lighter" in mood or tone. Celebrities, funny stuff, etc.​

Fringe

Conspiracies, UFOs/aliens, ghosts, paranormal, psychics, secret projects, mind control, remote viewing, ESP, dreams.​

Crypto

For all discussions relating to cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (and more), mining, etc.​