Comments on: Media spin and Crikey

By: Niall Clugston

Niall Clugston — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:16:40 +0000

Joe Boswell has missed the issue. Human rights are more important than tax.

By: UTS JOURNALISM

UTS JOURNALISM — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 02:12:34 +0000

Hi Stuart,

A few points to clarify:

The ACIJ did not ‘shop’ this study around, nor was any public relations material distributed prior to the launch of our findings on Monday.
Discussions with the Crikey editorial team took place from the beginning. Crikey liked the idea and were interested in publishing the results of our research project, even before the results came in. The study was devised and conducted independently of Crikey to preserve the editorial independence of ACIJ researchers and writers. We were not driven by any sort of ‘Crikey agenda’ as has been suggested.
To call this study and analysis ‘PR’ demonstrates a lack of understanding of journalism research in this tradition, as well as ignorance of the not-for-profit organisation that produced it.
As for the graphs, you make a valid observation about the style of graph chosen. The statistics were compiled by the ACIJ in table format. These tables were submitted to the Crikey graphics team and this is how they were published. We think Possum did a good job and as for those rounding errors you mentioned, we noticed them straight away and they are being fixed.
As for ordering students back to the classroom, and away from the examination of journalism practice first hand…well perhaps this is the kind of old-hat training that produced the statistics you see before you.

By: bakerboy

bakerboy — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 08:15:51 +0000

Bev Kilsby - Bingle is only 22, give her a break

By: dlew919

dlew919 — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 03:48:49 +0000

Paul Mossman: The earth’s age can be detected with a lot more certainty than you say. All right - creationists say 10,000 years. But they point to a largely allegorical work*, which states no definition for terms like ‘years’, and gives no definitive start point in any chronology. So, a ‘creationist’, or worse, a follower of ‘intelligent design’ (which is creationism given a false veneer of science’) is not using any objective measure of chronology.

Scientists know how to measure using carbon dating, using definable and provable formulae. They also know with certainty how fast light travels. Hence, we can date the age of the earth, and the age of the universe using carbon dating and astronomy.

As for global warming, at the risk of attracting the attention of Tamas Calderwood, the evidence is overwhelming. I’ll let others speak - but the rate of temperature increase is far greater in the last 200 years than before. It is the rate that we must worry about.

No-one’s saying that this is incompatible with belief (or non-belief) in God.

*Allegorical: Adam gave up a rib to make Eve; Lot’s wife; Jonah and the Whale; the Exodus - to which no archaelogical or historical evidence (outside of Old Testament exists); Job; Moab; David and Goliath; the Queen of Sheba… and on and on…