No Result
View All Result
SUBMIT YOUR ARTICLES
  • Login
Sunday, September 21, 2025
TheAdviserMagazine.com
  • Home
  • Financial Planning
    • Financial Planning
    • Personal Finance
  • Market Research
    • Business
    • Investing
    • Money
    • Economy
    • Markets
    • Stocks
    • Trading
  • 401k Plans
  • College
  • IRS & Taxes
  • Estate Plans
  • Social Security
  • Medicare
  • Legal
  • Home
  • Financial Planning
    • Financial Planning
    • Personal Finance
  • Market Research
    • Business
    • Investing
    • Money
    • Economy
    • Markets
    • Stocks
    • Trading
  • 401k Plans
  • College
  • IRS & Taxes
  • Estate Plans
  • Social Security
  • Medicare
  • Legal
No Result
View All Result
TheAdviserMagazine.com
No Result
View All Result
Home Market Research Economy

Party Time: Lessons from the aviation investigative process on “fact checking”

by TheAdviserMagazine
5 months ago
in Economy
Reading Time: 3 mins read
A A
Party Time: Lessons from the aviation investigative process on “fact checking”
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LInkedIn


In the wake of the airline accidents in Washington DC, Pennsylvania, and Toronto, social and traditional media has been flooded with pictures, (questionable) expert commentary, and theories as to the causes.  Before any investigation has even begun, before any evidence has been gathered, before the witnesses can be interviewed or black boxes recovered, an army of “aviation correspondents” eager for their 15 minutes of fame flock to network news and podcasts to deliver their two-cent opinions to anyone who will click on the link.  And frankly, with inflation these days, their opinion is still only worth two cents.

Our job as safety professionals is to determine the cause of the accident, deliver that information to the public, and provide recommendations to prevent tragedy in the future.  As professionals, we owe it to the victims to get it right. In aviation, the body responsible for accident and incident investigation is the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).  An independent agency, the NTSB has no prosecutorial or law enforcement teeth to mete out punishment; their sole mission is to determine the cause of transportation accidents and formulate recommendations for safety.  But to do so, they must have access to accurate information and have the ability to assess the information they do have, even if it is outside their technical expertise.  

A parallel can be drawn with the general public.  Since the age of social media there is the ability for the public to access information at a nearly unprecedented scale.  But the quality of that information varies widely, from the accurate and truthful, to the absolutely goofy (and before anyone asks, yes, the Earth is round.  We figured it out like 3000 years ago with a couple of sticks in the desert.  Please stop coming to the flight deck to ask.  I don’t care what you saw on the tickety-toks).  I’m familiar with Amy Willis’s Searching for Truth in a Social Media World discussing a conversation between Russ Roberts and Arnold Kling on feedback loops with regard for information EconTalk, and while I haven’t formulated a good answer to her question of why bad information simply doesn’t go out of business, I would like to share my perspective on information gathering.

How do safety professionals vet their information to make sure it is accurate and unbiased?  The answer is simple, if a bit counter-intuitive: by inviting everyone vested interest to the table.  The investigative process of the NTSB relies on what they call the Party System.  In a high-stakes investigation such an accident with fatalities, there are plenty of interested parties with an interest in the outcome: the aircraft manufacturer would be eager to show their systems were safe and reliable, the airline would want to demonstrate their business practices were not at fault, etc.  The NTSB determines what parties are interested and have expertise they require (within limits: those with legal or litigative positions are not allowed to be assigned to the investigative process, but for the sake of this metaphor, we’ll pretend they don’t exist).  Those who have the technical expertise or insight are invited to actively participate in the investigation.  Eventually, each party is asked to prepare a factual report and they are all asked to verify the accuracy of the others.  The parties do not participate in the actual analysis and report writing writing phase, but their own reports and findings are included in the public docket.  The NTSB then deliberates over the final result and reports their findings.  At its very core, this Party system uses each organization’s self-interest as a check on the others’ self-interest.  

Let’s expand this metaphor to something we’re all more familiar with: ourselves.  Constantly, we are assaulted by a deluge of information.  Most of it is about as useful as glow-in-the-dark sunglasses.  But just because information is bad, inaccurate, or biased, does that mean it should be excluded from the public?  That decision should come down to the individual.  Like the NTSB, we have a moral responsibility to ourselves and our community to seek out the best possible information.  We should hear as many different (relevant) perspectives as possible, rattle them around in our head for a bit, then determine a course of action.  We have the capacity to do so.  It’s a disservice to public discourse if we start excluding ideas because they don’t pass a fact check or they’re too “woke”. Invite everyone to lay their cards on the table, and use self interest as a motivator rather than an axe.   

 

Dennis Murphy is a professional airline pilot with a background in aviation safety, accident investigation, and causality. When he’s not flying 737s, he enjoys the company of his wife, their dogs, cats, and bees.



Source link

Tags: AviationCheckingFactinvestigativeLessonspartyProcessTIME
ShareTweetShare
Previous Post

Flip One Switch on 7 Appliances and Slice Next Month’s Utility Bill in Half

Next Post

8 Peer-Pressure Splurges Making You Broke While Your Friends Barely Notice

Related Posts

edit post
The Fed cut its interest rate, but mortgage costs went higher

The Fed cut its interest rate, but mortgage costs went higher

by TheAdviserMagazine
September 20, 2025
0

Torsten Asmus | Istock | Getty ImagesLonger-term Treasury yields jumped this week, flying in the face of the Federal Reserve's...

edit post
On the Hyperinflation On-Ramp | Mises Institute

On the Hyperinflation On-Ramp | Mises Institute

by TheAdviserMagazine
September 20, 2025
0

What is the Mises Institute? The Mises Institute is a non-profit organization that exists to promote teaching and research in...

edit post
The Juridical Model of Justice

The Juridical Model of Justice

by TheAdviserMagazine
September 20, 2025
0

In Shakespeare’s Henry VI, a rebel alarmingly named Dick the Butcher says: “The first thing we do, let’s kill all...

edit post
Links 9/20/2025 | naked capitalism

Links 9/20/2025 | naked capitalism

by TheAdviserMagazine
September 20, 2025
0

Here are the 2025 Ig Nobel Prize winners Improbable (Micael T) Scientists Discover Why Alcohol Blocks Liver Regeneration, Even After...

edit post
Market Talk – September 19, 2025

Market Talk – September 19, 2025

by TheAdviserMagazine
September 19, 2025
0

ASIA: The major Asian stock markets had a mixed day today: • NIKKEI 225 decreased 257.62 points or -0.57% to...

edit post
Steve Bannon floats idea of Bessent running both Treasury and the Fed

Steve Bannon floats idea of Bessent running both Treasury and the Fed

by TheAdviserMagazine
September 19, 2025
0

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks to the press, on the day of U.S.-China talks on trade, economic and national...

Next Post
edit post
8 Peer-Pressure Splurges Making You Broke While Your Friends Barely Notice

8 Peer-Pressure Splurges Making You Broke While Your Friends Barely Notice

edit post
Among the Large-Cap Stocks Insiders and Short Sellers Are Dumping Like Crazy

Among the Large-Cap Stocks Insiders and Short Sellers Are Dumping Like Crazy

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
edit post
What Happens If a Spouse Dies Without a Will in North Carolina?

What Happens If a Spouse Dies Without a Will in North Carolina?

September 14, 2025
edit post
California May Reimplement Mask Mandates

California May Reimplement Mask Mandates

September 5, 2025
edit post
Who Needs a Trust Instead of a Will in North Carolina?

Who Needs a Trust Instead of a Will in North Carolina?

September 1, 2025
edit post
Does a Will Need to Be Notarized in North Carolina?

Does a Will Need to Be Notarized in North Carolina?

September 8, 2025
edit post
DACA recipients no longer eligible for Marketplace health insurance and subsidies

DACA recipients no longer eligible for Marketplace health insurance and subsidies

September 11, 2025
edit post
Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks CEO grew up in ‘survival mode’ selling newspapers and bean pies—now his chain sells a  cheesesteak every 58 seconds

Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks CEO grew up in ‘survival mode’ selling newspapers and bean pies—now his chain sells a $12 cheesesteak every 58 seconds

August 30, 2025
edit post
IRS Opening Date 2026: How Delays Affect Filing & Refunds

IRS Opening Date 2026: How Delays Affect Filing & Refunds

0
edit post
Partnering for Impact: Institutional Investors and the Net-Zero Transition

Partnering for Impact: Institutional Investors and the Net-Zero Transition

0
edit post
AMC Theaters: TWO Movie Tickets with Drinks & Popcorn only .76!

AMC Theaters: TWO Movie Tickets with Drinks & Popcorn only $25.76!

0
edit post
Get startup insights from Chef Robotics, NEA, and ICONIQ at Disrupt 2025

Get startup insights from Chef Robotics, NEA, and ICONIQ at Disrupt 2025

0
edit post
US Tariffs Targeting Services: Prepare Your IT Organization

US Tariffs Targeting Services: Prepare Your IT Organization

0
edit post
Accountant General: AI to make third of civil servants redundant

Accountant General: AI to make third of civil servants redundant

0
edit post
H-1B visas: White House tries to clear confusion after panic throws corporate America into chaos

H-1B visas: White House tries to clear confusion after panic throws corporate America into chaos

September 20, 2025
edit post
Mizuho Raises Micron (MU) Price Target to 2 Ahead of Earnings

Mizuho Raises Micron (MU) Price Target to $182 Ahead of Earnings

September 20, 2025
edit post
Is A New Bullish Phase About To Commence?

Is A New Bullish Phase About To Commence?

September 20, 2025
edit post
Trump H-1B visa tech foreign governments

Trump H-1B visa tech foreign governments

September 20, 2025
edit post
Luigi Mangione’s lawyers attack Pam Bondi for turning his arrest into a ‘Marvel movie’ that fatally

Luigi Mangione’s lawyers attack Pam Bondi for turning his arrest into a ‘Marvel movie’ that fatally

September 20, 2025
edit post
CZ Endorses Hyperliquid Rival Aster DEX, Token Rallies 1,500%

CZ Endorses Hyperliquid Rival Aster DEX, Token Rallies 1,500%

September 20, 2025
The Adviser Magazine

The first and only national digital and print magazine that connects individuals, families, and businesses to Fee-Only financial advisers, accountants, attorneys and college guidance counselors.

CATEGORIES

  • 401k Plans
  • Business
  • College
  • Cryptocurrency
  • Economy
  • Estate Plans
  • Financial Planning
  • Investing
  • IRS & Taxes
  • Legal
  • Market Analysis
  • Markets
  • Medicare
  • Money
  • Personal Finance
  • Social Security
  • Startups
  • Stock Market
  • Trading

LATEST UPDATES

  • H-1B visas: White House tries to clear confusion after panic throws corporate America into chaos
  • Mizuho Raises Micron (MU) Price Target to $182 Ahead of Earnings
  • Is A New Bullish Phase About To Commence?
  • Our Great Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use, Legal Notices & Disclosures
  • Contact us
  • About Us

© Copyright 2024 All Rights Reserved
See articles for original source and related links to external sites.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Financial Planning
    • Financial Planning
    • Personal Finance
  • Market Research
    • Business
    • Investing
    • Money
    • Economy
    • Markets
    • Stocks
    • Trading
  • 401k Plans
  • College
  • IRS & Taxes
  • Estate Plans
  • Social Security
  • Medicare
  • Legal

© Copyright 2024 All Rights Reserved
See articles for original source and related links to external sites.