tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post2774486941784516883..comments2023-09-28T08:13:11.489-07:00Comments on Only In It For The Gold: Loose Cannon in the Press Office?Michael Tobishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08229460438349093944noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-72953962598161113332010-03-18T17:58:47.007-07:002010-03-18T17:58:47.007-07:00He is a guy. More concerning, a grad student who ...He is a guy. More concerning, a grad student who is fronting for the professor.<br /><br />http://cliveg.bu.edu/people/arindam.htmlEliRabetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07957002964638398767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-69782631898109464052010-03-18T08:14:05.819-07:002010-03-18T08:14:05.819-07:00I was surprised to learn that Samanta is female fr...I was surprised to learn that Samanta is female from a correspondent who has been writing prominently on the matter. <br /><br />Now I am unsure, and have checked with said correspondent.<br /><br />I am surprised nobody in Boston has done any legwork to investigate this matter.Michael Tobishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08229460438349093944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-61775215710365216882010-03-18T06:32:17.146-07:002010-03-18T06:32:17.146-07:00Do you know Dr. Samanta is "he" or "...Do you know Dr. Samanta is "he" or "she"? I do not dare ask directly (yet). I could not decide with the portrait photo at lab web page. On the other hand, I find Blogger profile page of a user "Arindam Samanta" which says that the gender is male. Also "Arindam is Sanskrit for the man who has won all his enemies" according to Wikipedia.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13437041108856598560noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-20478583836351070702010-03-17T14:28:43.690-07:002010-03-17T14:28:43.690-07:00Thanks for the link, DC. That's a gem at the N...Thanks for the link, DC. That's a gem at the NP, a little sparkling perfect crystal of brazen dishonesty.Michael Tobishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08229460438349093944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-8790610033468352962010-03-17T13:52:32.014-07:002010-03-17T13:52:32.014-07:00What about senior author Myneni? According to the ...What about senior author Myneni? According to the National Post's Terence Corcoran, Myneni called the IPCC Amazon statement "alarmist". <br /><br />As well, Corcoran's article also goes well beyond the press release, which at least mentioned that Samanta et al undercut the earlier Science 2007 report of thriving "greening up" following the 2005 drought. Corcoran misleadingly characterizes the earlier research showing "greening up" as discussing "disturbance" of the Amazon rain forest.<br /><br />http://network.nationalpost.com/NP/blogs/fpcomment/archive/2010/03/12/terence-corcoran-remember-amazongate.aspx<br /><br />Obviously, authors can not dispute every single misinterpretation of their work in the popular press. But in this case, the author granted an interview to a major media outlet that is a known purveyor of disinformation. Myneni has a duty to correct the record.<br /><br />I would also say that if press releases are going to use the work to make sweeping generalizations, then those statements should be on the record from one of the authors as a direct quote. That would concentrate minds, wouldn't it?<br /><br />Note also that the quote from Brazilian scientist Jose Marengo is now gone, presumably following his objection.<br /><br />Stick with it ...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-5828876848992671922010-03-16T06:07:07.146-07:002010-03-16T06:07:07.146-07:00Eli was going to vent on this too, but the real po...Eli was going to vent on this too, but the real point is NOT to let Samanta walk this back. He is either being duplicious or dumb and needs to be called on it.EliRabetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07957002964638398767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-68244903924789792352010-03-15T17:36:01.227-07:002010-03-15T17:36:01.227-07:00In a reasonable world the university press office ...In a reasonable world the university press office might be expected to be there to help researchers get their results out to the public media in the least mangled, most factually accurate way as a first priority, with the level of exposure gained perhaps as a second priority.<br /><br />My experience has been rather the opposite - the first function above can be filled to some extent by talking directly to quality media organisations, but in contrast the university media office are all about raising the media profile of their institution and facts be damned if they get in the way of a good story. <br /><br />I was recently an author on a climate-related publication in Science, who have a not-so-helpful policy of tipping off the media offices of contributing authors to imminent publications. After days of haggling over its wording with the press officer concerned the only way I was able to avoid a wildly misleading media release escaping into the wild from my own institution was to drag my feet for so long that it was simply too late to release it.<br /><br />The press officer was not trying to spin a climate-sceptical viewpoint, she was simply trying to sex things up enough that mainstream media would bite at her media release, and could not find a way of doing so that I was prepared to consider as factually accurate with respect to the contents of our published research. <br /><br />A depressing experience, but as a result I would be hesitant to hold any scientist to account for a press release issued by their host institution. <br /> Powelliphantahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04557990682301144996noreply@blogger.com