[LINK] We're all pirates (again)

[Frank O'Connor]

Wasn't it Joe Namath who when asked what the difference was between 
grass and Astroturf said, "You can't smoke AstroTurf."

To my mind the reporter was using grass and Sphere Analysis was using 
AstroTurf.

Also, Sphere Analysis was supposedly commissioned to research this by 
the industry body - which makes the 'research' less than objective 
(and as fanciful as previous 'guesstimates') ... whilst the 
methodology needs a little examination (pluck a number from here, a 
number from here, and a really big unrealistic number from here and 
multiply them to get the desired result. Then don't test it against 
anything, just publish the PR ... and some dopey lazy member of the 
Fourth Estate will pick it up as news.)

It's what passes for journalism in this country that's the problem ...

					Regards,

At 8:57 AM +1100 6/3/11, Richard Chirgwin wrote:
>Does anyone else get sick of journalism as lazy as this?
>
>http://www.theage.com.au/technology/nation-of-unrepentant-pirates-costs-900m-20110305-1bix5.html
>
>One question - just one - would have helped. Like "who is Sphere
>Analysis" (who conducted the research)?
>
>Answer: a business name registered in NSW last November. Wouldn't that
>raise the suspicion that the whole thing is astroturf?
>
>(It's more than about time that ASIC published the ownership of
>companies and business names online for free)
>
>RC
>
>_______________________________________________
>Link mailing list
>Link at mailman.anu.edu.au
>http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link