Ethics Statement

My brother, Samuel Freilich, works for Google.  My opinions do not represent his opinions.  When reporting on a topic that is in any way Google-related, I will not distort or deny my opinions, should they be negative.  I will choose my words and positions based on careful evaluations, not family ties.  I will not, however, refrain from talking to my brother about Google.  If you are concerned that my judgement is clouded, I invite you to comment on my posts.  I will respond to feedback as best I can.

In addition, my dad, Joel Freilich, is a manager at the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority.  I do not get to ride free or even discounted (but he gets to ride free).  My sister, Melissa Freilich, was part of a group of activists who fought for legislation that would provide funding for the Metropolitan Saint Louis Transit Agency.  I have the same policy regarding transit (and more broadly, transportation) as I do Google.


The merit of opinions:

RhizaTech currently focuses on my view points, positions, and analysis. Yes, those words all mean basically the same thing:  opinions.  I have some strong opinions on opinions, and I also have some strong opinions on facts; go figure.  A few things:

* Anyone who opines with an aim to do a service to his community fails if he does not base his opinions in facts.  Even hunches can be traced back to facts.

* There have been times in school when I've been required to have an opinion on a topic.  This sort of thing drives me crazy.  Though such a requirement makes sense in some contexts (when a student is learning how to write persuasively, for instance), it can constrain the learning process at best, and at worst, send a message to the student that he has all the answers.  I, personally, don't have all the answers.  If you want to keep up on the "answers," the ideas, that I do have, read this blog.

* My favorite opining is when I can bring something new to a discussion, or articulate a point better than it was said before.

* Shouldn't news be unbiased?  Depends.  This is context sensitive in my opinion.  Also, my blog, no matter how much it expands (wishful thinking?), will probably not become a news site.  More on this later.


Last updated:  August 15, 2012