Methodology
How we evaluate resources
How claims, arguments and evidence are verified and validated on Mediajury.Why methodology matters
Methodology is paramount in a productive debate. It determines whether resources and information are relevant to a debate. If I say "Tigers live in the jungle" and use as evidence a video of ostriches running in a savanna, both statements are ultimately true: the footage of the ostrich is valid in itself, but it doesn't support the argument that tigers live in the jungle. The two have no relation.
Methodology filters out such logical fallacies, and ensures every piece of evidence is both authentic and relevant to the argument it supports.
The four layers of a debate
- Topics: the claim on trial.
- Arguments: reasoning about the topic, built on evidence.
- Evidence: the datapoints and artifacts arguments rest on.
- Conclusions: verdicts that follow from valid arguments.