Comments on: Don’t Follow The Money http://cornell.elliottback.com/dont-follow-the-money/ An unofficial blog about Cornell University Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:32:35 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: JhonGalindo http://cornell.elliottback.com/dont-follow-the-money/#comment-282954 JhonGalindo Sat, 28 Feb 2009 10:13:29 +0000 http://cornell.elliottback.com/?p=172#comment-282954 Nice Article. thanks For The Interesting information. I really enjoy it. Nice Article. thanks For The Interesting information. I really enjoy it.

]]> By: Elliott Back http://cornell.elliottback.com/dont-follow-the-money/#comment-462 Elliott Back Tue, 22 Nov 2005 20:39:08 +0000 http://cornell.elliottback.com/?p=172#comment-462 While it's true that "follow the money" is a good way to spot potential corruption and conflict of interest, it's more important to look for incentives that would motivate that behavior. It's important, of course, to speculate about impropriety, but if you can find no evidence of any, and no motive, it's not worth saying except as a footnote. While it’s true that “follow the money” is a good way to spot potential corruption and conflict of interest, it’s more important to look for incentives that would motivate that behavior. It’s important, of course, to speculate about impropriety, but if you can find no evidence of any, and no motive, it’s not worth saying except as a footnote.

]]> By: andy guess http://cornell.elliottback.com/dont-follow-the-money/#comment-461 andy guess Tue, 22 Nov 2005 17:05:56 +0000 http://cornell.elliottback.com/?p=172#comment-461 I see your point. But three things: (1) Julie was being whisked from place to place, seeing what she was meant to see, talking to whom she was given access, reporting what she was meant to report. If The Sun and Cornell's interests were aligned, they were aligned only in the most superficial form of journalism -- public relations or, worse, stenography. (2) What if Julie managed to find out, from an anonymous source, what happened behind one of the closed-door meetings between Rawlings and Chinese officials? Would Cornell suddenly revoke her funding? That's a pretty huge incentive to stay on a tight leash. It's also a major problem with college newspapers' limited spending ability, and an argument to stay local. (3) Newspapers are fundamentally about trust, and these days, it's waning. When readers already assume that papers and reporters are in bed with their sources, this arrangement only makes The Sun's reporting look suspect -- and not just the stories on China. I see your point. But three things:

(1) Julie was being whisked from place to place, seeing what she was meant to see, talking to whom she was given access, reporting what she was meant to report. If The Sun and Cornell’s interests were aligned, they were aligned only in the most superficial form of journalism — public relations or, worse, stenography.

(2) What if Julie managed to find out, from an anonymous source, what happened behind one of the closed-door meetings between Rawlings and Chinese officials? Would Cornell suddenly revoke her funding? That’s a pretty huge incentive to stay on a tight leash. It’s also a major problem with college newspapers’ limited spending ability, and an argument to stay local.

(3) Newspapers are fundamentally about trust, and these days, it’s waning. When readers already assume that papers and reporters are in bed with their sources, this arrangement only makes The Sun’s reporting look suspect — and not just the stories on China.

]]>