Talk:Jonathan Alter

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I don't know the correct year Jonathan Alter was born, but I'm certain it can't have been 1983. Does anyone know?165.176.123.2 (talk) 16:40, 20 December 2007 (UTC)

I found an article at http://www.njmonthly.com/issues/2007/05-May/coverstory/alter.htm which mentions 1957, confirming the 1957 births category:

The kitchen they kept radiates character: It has antique tile, wood paneling, exposed brick and a stove built in 1957—the year Alter was born. That stove, he points out, has produced “many fine turkeys.”

I've added this in with a reference. It's my first time using a footnote reference, and it may not be clear enough where in the article the information is. If anyone knows the best way to clarify this please do. Psionicman (talk) 17:22, 20 December 2007 (UTC)

"He is a good man" ? Is this his own personal edit? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 205.252.179.11 (talk) 17:15, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

description of "defining moment"

i don't think this is a very honest description of the critical reception. while his book was indeed respected, it was nearly universally pointed out that this hypothetical declaration of martial was pretty much a flight of unadulterated fancy on alters behalf. 71.214.102.81 (talk) 05:10, 6 December 2008 (UTC)

Alter's suggestion the U.S. should torture

In an article that appeared on Nov 5, 2001, Alter heralded the PATRIOT Act and suggested the US should torture detainees to "jump-start the stalled investigation of the greatest crime in American history". I don't know enough about his subsequent positions on these issues, but it's worth mentioning. Alter's article is here" http://www.newsweek.com/id/76304 . (Ironically, the CAPTCHA posed by Wikipedia when submitting this entry was "maybemoral".) Grr82 (talk) 22:06, 21 March 2009 (UTC)

Quotes?

Why on earth the inclusion if this singularly obscure quotation in a section of its own? Aren't thing like this against Wikipedia's general style? - Jmabel | Talk 04:43, 24 March 2009 (UTC)

Removed. --Tom (talk) 00:15, 18 May 2009 (UTC)

That 2001 column "Time To Think About Torture"

One entire paragraph of this short article, in its current form, is about the controversial column "Time to Think About Torture". As indicated above, the inclusion of that paragraph raised some eyebrows earlier.

Recently a series of new and unregistered users have been attempting to greatly expand the discussion of that column, essentially making it a major focus of the article. I have reverted those edits as an instance of undue emphasis that is contrary to WP:BLP, and I have now semi-protected the article for a short time to allow for discussion of this column and its appropriate treatment in this article.

If you think it's important for this article to include an extended discussion of this column, please explain your reasons here.

I think a good case could be made for trimming back the paragraph that exists in the article, but I think I'd prefer to see its prominence diminished by expanding the discussion of the numerous other Alter columns that have attracted attention in third-party reliable sources. --Orlady (talk) 21:07, 17 September 2010 (UTC)

First of all, the Alter article is short to begin with, so by definition, any addition will be proportionally large. The argument that a further discussion regarding Alter's support of torture puts undue emphasis on the issue doesn't work for this reason. If the other sections were longer, would the addition have been OK?

If Wikipedia desires to be taken seriously, it is not doing itself any favors by burying the true feelings of a high profile journalist who when it really mattered faltered in his convictions. When it comes to the credibility of this journalist, who is currently trying to profile himself as an anti-torture advocate, everything depends on performance under pressure.

Alter has proven himself to be an unreliable flip-flopper of the worst kind, and indeed, dangerous. Wikipedia is burying the truth. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Onnerfors3 (talk • contribs) 19:03, 20 September 2010 (UTC)

You should be aware that Wikipedia is not a platform for promoting a point of view. See WP:NOTADVOCATE. --Orlady (talk) 03:32, 21 September 2010 (UTC)

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To add to article

To add to this article: the fact that Alter's late father, 1st Lt. James Alter, flew 31 combat missions as a bombardier in a B-24 in 1944 and 1945, during World War II; his plane was shot down but he made an emergency landing in Soviet-held territory and survived. 173.88.246.138 (talk) 01:09, 3 February 2021 (UTC)