robert@isgtec.UUCP (Robert Osborne) (09/19/89)
In article <1989Sep14.152608.24946@utzoo.uucp>, henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes: > "The Newspaper Effect: when you read a newspaper article on a topic you > know a lot about, it's *always* *wrong*. Consider the implications." When I was home visiting during my first year university, my Dad and I participated in a log sawing competition. We were interviewed by a reporter from the local newspaper. I guess a rather articulate gentleman talking about alloy's, temper, thousand's of inches of "set", cc's etc., and his son who was currently taking mathematics at UofWaterloo didn't quite fit her idea of typical lumberjacks. In the final article we both used phrases like "ya'al", "eh", "werken fer a liven", I was "hop'n ta be jus like pa" and be a real lumberjack, and "Pa" was "hop'n the macheens" wouldn't "roon" my future. At least she got our names right :-). Rob. -- Robert A. Osborne ...uunet!mnetor!lsuc!isgtec!robert (Nice sig Bruce mind if I steal it :-) ...utzoo!lsuc!isgtec!robert ISG Technologies Inc. 3030 Orlando Dr. Mississauga. Ont. Can. L4V 1S8
gh@ai.toronto.edu (Graeme Hirst) (09/19/89)
In article <1989Sep14.152608.24946@utzoo.uucp>, henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes: > "The Newspaper Effect: when you read a newspaper article on a topic you > know a lot about, it's *always* *wrong*. Consider the implications." I recently spent an hour talking to a reporter from Regina who wanted to know all about machine translation and related topics. (This was in connection with the GigaText fuss.) I later saw the article he wrote, and found it to be both fair and technically accurate. Cynicism is fine (I do it for a living), but don't let it overwhelm you. Not everyone in the world is a bozo. -- \\\\ Graeme Hirst University of Toronto Computer Science Department //// uunet!utai!gh / gh@ai.toronto.edu / 416-978-8747
manis@grads.cs.ubc.ca (Vincent Manis) (09/20/89)
In article <89Sep19.123413edt.2449@neat.cs.toronto.edu> gh@ai.toronto.edu (Graeme Hirst) writes: >Cynicism is fine (I do it for a living), but don't let it overwhelm you. >Not everyone in the world is a bozo. I've been interviewed lots of times over the years, both on political issues and technical ones. I've generally found that the journalists I've dealt with have been woefully ill-informed on whatever they were interviewing me about, but generally were attempting to do as good a job as they could. My cynicism mostly comes from editorial policies which emphasise the sensational (the Vancouver Sun, for example, gave a large amount of space the other day to a loony priest in Dayton, OH, who thinks that Jesus wore formal dress, but didn't bother to mention the ACL conference this summer), and which trivialise things (CBC Radio, which is generally outstanding, once gave me 30 seconds to describe computing in the '90's). I always try to be helpful when dealing with a journalist. It isn't his/her fault... ____________ Vincent Manis | manis@cs.ubc.ca ___ \ _____ The Invisible City of Kitezh | manis@cs.ubc.cdn ____ \ ____ Department of Computer Science | manis%cs.ubc@relay.cs.net ___ /\ ___ University of British Columbia | uunet!ubc-cs!manis __ / \ __ Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1W5 | (604) 228-2394 _ / __ \ _ "There is no law that vulgarity and literary excellence cannot ____________ coexist." -- A. Trevor Hodge
brad@looking.on.ca (Brad Templeton) (09/20/89)
In article <5019@ubc-cs.UUCP> manis@grads.cs.ubc.ca (Vincent Manis) writes: > >I always try to be helpful when dealing with a journalist. It isn't >his/her fault... Sometimes it is his or her fault. More often than you think, getting a 'good' story is more important than getting the right story. This isn't cynicism, but the story of hard experience by myself, and my family members, a few of whom are/were highly prominent journalists. -- Brad Templeton, Looking Glass Software Ltd. -- Waterloo, Ontario 519/884-7473
kim@watsup.waterloo.edu (T. Kim Nguyen) (09/21/89)
In article <141@isgtec.UUCP> robert@isgtec.UUCP (Robert Osborne) writes:
[news stories distorted by journalists]
At least she got our names right :-).
Rob.
--
Robert A. Osborne ...uunet!mnetor!lsuc!isgtec!robert
(Nice sig Bruce mind if I steal it :-) ...utzoo!lsuc!isgtec!robert
ISG Technologies Inc. 3030 Orlando Dr. Mississauga. Ont. Can. L4V 1S8
Ah well, I was once interviewed by our local town newspaper, and I was
discussing my views on military work done by scientists and engineers
(I believe one should always make a conscious decision and moral
judgement about the work we do), especially at CAE Electronics where I
worked on a mostly-military project (which I regret having done).
Anyway, I was certain I'd made my views clear on that issue, but I was
shocked to read the article when it came out the next week. I was
quoted as saying [about that issue], "Well, if I don't do it, somebody
else will."!!! :0
I wrote a letter to the editor complaining about that, but we all know
how large an audience those things reach... :-)
--
T. Kim Nguyen kim@watsup.waterloo.{edu|cdn}
kim@watsup.uwaterloo.ca
{uunet|utzoo|utai|decvax}watmath!watsup!kim
Systems Design Engineering -- University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
--
T. Kim Nguyen kim@watsup.waterloo.{edu|cdn}
kim@watsup.uwaterloo.ca
{uunet|utzoo|utai|decvax}watmath!watsup!kim
Systems Design Engineering -- University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canadabrad@looking.on.ca (Brad Templeton) (09/22/89)
In article <KIM.89Sep20133241@watsup.waterloo.edu> kim@watsup.waterloo.edu (T. Kim Nguyen) writes: >I wrote a letter to the editor complaining about that, but we all know >how large an audience those things reach... :-) You seem to imply that the audience is small. Don't say "we" all know it then, because I know the letters page gets a bigger audience than most of the paper, front page and funnies excepted. -- Brad Templeton, Looking Glass Software Ltd. -- Waterloo, Ontario 519/884-7473
kim@watsup.waterloo.edu (T. Kim Nguyen) (09/26/89)
In article <18804@looking.on.ca> brad@looking.on.ca (Brad Templeton) writes:
You seem to imply that the audience is small. Don't say "we" all know it
then, because I know the letters page gets a bigger audience than most
of the paper, front page and funnies excepted.
I find myself usually laughing at the hilariously ridiculous opinions
expressed by crackpots and fascists in letters to the editor. Some
letters to the editor are rational and deserve serious consideration,
but I find that having to sift these from the garbage takes too much
time. I thought most people had the same impression of those letters.
Of course, your argument about the letters page getting a bigger
audience isn't entirely relevant either; after all, the Toronto Sun
probably has a very large audience, but that doesn't say much for its
content. :-)
--
T. Kim Nguyen kim@watsup.waterloo.{edu|cdn}
kim@watsup.uwaterloo.ca
{uunet|utzoo|utai|decvax}watmath!watsup!kim
Systems Design Engineering -- University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada