The statement not saying much is essential for getting an impressively comprehensive list of signatories: the more you say, the more likely it is that someone whom you want to sign will disagree.
Relatedly, when we made DontDoxScottAlexander.com, we tried not to wade into a bigger fight about the NYT and other news sites, nor to make it an endorsement of Scott and everything he’s ever written/done. It just focused on the issue of not deanonymizing bloggers when revealing their identity is a threat to their careers or personal safety and there isn’t a strong ethical reason to do so. I know more high-profile people signed it because the wording was conservative in this manner.
The statement not saying much is essential for getting an impressively comprehensive list of signatories: the more you say, the more likely it is that someone whom you want to sign will disagree.
Relatedly, when we made DontDoxScottAlexander.com, we tried not to wade into a bigger fight about the NYT and other news sites, nor to make it an endorsement of Scott and everything he’s ever written/done. It just focused on the issue of not deanonymizing bloggers when revealing their identity is a threat to their careers or personal safety and there isn’t a strong ethical reason to do so. I know more high-profile people signed it because the wording was conservative in this manner.