After reading countless blogs, I've come up with "R. Neal's Information Value Hierarchy", listed here in decreasing order of value.
1. Facts
2. Analysis
3. Opinion
4. Feelings
5. Your cat
Facts: Nobody can argue with facts. Well, they'll try.
Analysis: Trying to make sense of the facts, to answer the question "what does this mean?"
Opinions: Theirs is right and yours is wrong. Except, informed opinion backed up with facts and analysis can sometimes be persuasive, especially coming from experts on a subject.
Feelings: Nobody cares about your feelings. Don't just say "This pisses me off!" Explain why using facts and analysis. Convince people why they should be pissed off about it, too.
Cats: Would somebody please get those cats a freaking cheezburger?
Adapted from a presentation on blogging I gave a while back
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Discussing:
- Alcoa Hwy construction to extend to 2030 (2 replies)
- Smith & Wesson noise problem (3 replies)
- Are Chat bots a waste of time? (1 reply)
- Musicians dropping out of President's Freedom Concert Series (1 reply)
- It's time for new blood in Congress, Barnett in - Burchett out (1 reply)
- Burning Down The House... (2 replies)
- Behind Lege Lies (1 reply)
- Peace (1 reply)
- Speak your truth, fight and believe. (1 reply)
- Large banks have too much AI data center debt? (1 reply)
- GOP misleading on federal health care funding (1 reply)
- Feds indict civil rights group (3 replies)
TN Progressive
- Alcoa property taxes will probably not go up (BlountViews)
- Smith & Wesson not a good fit for Blount County (BlountViews)
- Pellissippi Parkway extension delayed again (BlountViews)
- Blount County early voting record turnout (BlountViews)
- WATCH THIS SPACE. (Left Wing Cracker)
- America As It Is Right Now (RoaneViews)
- A friend sent this: From Captain McElwee's Tall Tales of Roane County (RoaneViews)
- The Meidas Touch (RoaneViews)
- Massive Security Breach Analysis (RoaneViews)
- (Whitescreek Journal)
- My choices in the August election (Left Wing Cracker)
- July 4, 2024 - aka The Twilight Zone (Joe Powell)
TN Politics
- Stockard on the Stump: Don’t bet your life savings on a gubernatorial debate (TN Lookout)
- Trump couldn’t send troops to the polls without approval of Congress under Dem bill (TN Lookout)
- More Americans are hungry in the face of federal cuts, rising grocery prices (TN Lookout)
- 60-day clock starts for negotiations with Iran over strait, nuclear future (TN Lookout)
- Feds seek dismissal of xAI lawsuit in Memphis and Mississippi (TN Lookout)
- FEMA nominee pressed on whether Trump favors disaster funding requests from GOP states (TN Lookout)
Knox TN Today
- Play catch with Lady Vols softball players (Knox TN Today)
- Norris Lake at Oak Grove + Beaver Creek + West Hills picnic (Knox TN Today)
- Dishing It Out: Million Dollar Spaghetti (Knox TN Today)
- Close to Home, Far from Ordinary: East Tennessee ghost stories and local legends (Knox TN Today)
- William Carder, Powell, crowned Tennessee’s Best Bagger (Knox TN Today)
- Dining Duo gives statistics plus two favorite pizza eats (Knox TN Today)
- Hiking with Harrington: Rich Mt. Road (Knox TN Today)
- Plant flowers like wildlife depends on it. They do! (Knox TN Today)
- Unmasking bright futures for pets at Mask-Fur-Ade 2026 (Knox TN Today)
- Belmont Blooms (Knox TN Today)
- A Special Place and ‘A Hawksbill Dream’ (Knox TN Today)
- Boyds at Ascot + Jeff Knight retires + Alcoa grows + Juneteenth events (Knox TN Today)
Local TV News
- United Way of Greater Knoxville annual report highlighes $8.3 million rasied, challenges in 2025 (WATE)
- 'Peaceful but with a pulse' Why campers and glampers are choosing Townsend (WATE)
- Family seeks to limit medical examiner's testimony in Lisa Edwards' wrongful death lawsuit (WATE)
- 'Celebrate her' Knoxville mother dedicates restaurant to daughter lost in crash (WATE)
- Cocke County firefighter allegedly attacked during flooding in Parrottsville (WATE)
- Two Maryville restaurants fail initial health inspections (WATE)
News Sentinel
State News
- Isaiah Rashad’s ‘awful’ press tour to make a stop in his hometown of Chattanooga - Chattanooga Times Free Press (Times Free Press)
- What’s going there? Developer still deciding what to place at old church site - Chattanooga Times Free Press (Times Free Press)
- Teen charged in connection with disappearance of Collegedale man - Chattanooga Times Free Press (Times Free Press)
- Daughter of Chattanooga woman who joined ISIS rescued, awaits fate outside a Syrian detention camp - Chattanooga Times Free Press (Times Free Press)
Wire Reports
- U.S.-Iran talks postponed as Vance cancels trip and Israel intensifies strikes in southern Lebanon - NBC News (US News)
- Oil prices are falling and stocks are up. Traders worry they’ve gone too far - CNN (US News)
- The US says ASML’s top chip tool may be in China. ASML says it isn’t - TechCrunch (Business)
- Warsh wants markets to guide the Fed, not the other way around - Yahoo Finance (Business)
- Asia Stocks Set to Rise as US-Iran Deal Lifts Mood: Markets Wrap - Bloomberg.com (Business)
- Matt Dunlap beats DCCC-backed candidate in primary for top Maine battleground - Politico (US News)
- Democrat Hannah Pingree and MAGA ally Bobby Charles will face off for Maine governor - Politico (US News)
- In bid to make a deal, billionaire tax backers offer to slash tax in exchange for Newsom’s support - San Francisco Chronicle (US News)
- ‘We created a monster’: companies rein in AI usage as costs strain budgets - Financial Times (Business)
- Obamas hope presidential center in Chicago will be a ‘beacon of hope’ for democracy - Chicago Tribune (US News)
- DHS to Scrap Use of Seven Warehouses for Detention Centers - WSJ (US News)
- Blue paint on bottom of Reflecting Pool appears to be peeling away - WTOP (US News)
- Accenture CEO Julie Sweet says AI transformation will 'take some time' as stock price takes another hit - Business Insider (Business)
- SpaceX Stock Plunges Despite Getting 2 Big Price Targets - Barron's (Business)
- White House talks with Anthropic shift to setting AI security rules - Politico (Business)
Local Media
Lost Medicaid Funding
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TN Progressive
Nearby:
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- Herston TN Family Law
- Inside of Knoxville
- Instapundit
- Jack Lail
- Jim Stovall
- Knox Dems
- MoxCarm Blue Streak
- Outdoor Knoxville
- Pittman Properties
- Reality Me
- Stop Alcoa Parkway
Beyond:
- Nashville Scene
- Nashville Post
- Smart City Memphis
- TN Dems
- TN Journal
- TN Lookout
- Bob Stepno
- Facing South

I am waiting on the paperback to be released
R- don't you also find value in asking specific questions within the blog?
That's an excellent point.
That's an excellent point. Questions should be somewhere on the list. Not sure if it should be before or after "gumption to go find answers", which you are pretty good at.
Can't answer for Neal....
...But if you're referring to challenging information on a blog that's presented as "fact", absolutely.
This is very important. It keeps everyone honest and exposes shills posing as pundits.
"The mind is like a parachute, it only works when it's open."
;)
Heh...
Good list. Facts must always come first.
And in presenting the facts, solid citation must be provided.
A reasonable cross section usually works. I will often post a link to the Washington Post, then a link to, say, the Arizona Sun-Times which is a decidedly more conservative source. Avoiding of course, sources of low to no credibility such as the Moonies or anything owned by Rupert Murdoch.
Though we have our opinions, the Idea is to spark enough curiosity and provide enough information that a blog reader can do what they're supposed to do...Verify Everything Themself.
Never just take someone's word for something. Not mine, not anyone's.
"The mind is like a parachute, it only works when it's open."
provide enough information
provide enough information that a blog reader can do what they're supposed to do...Verify Everything Themself.
Another excellent point.
(And your corollary, never trust anything you read on a blog until you verify it yourself!)
Cats: Would somebody please
RufusKitty favors tuna and salmon, and for some odd reason whole wheat bread.
pgs
Pam Strickland
"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." ~Kurt Vonnegut
Sorry... lol
Sorry... lol
Rankings
Often I think cats should be No. 1 or 2 on the list--depending on the blog.
Brian A.
I'd rather be cycling.