Journalism

Lies, Damn Lies, Statistics and (your choice of) Polls

April 26th, 2000

Railing against the flawed methodology of polls published on the front page of The National Post is a little like pointing out that Leonardo DiCaprio’s interview with Bill Clinton wasn’t the proudest moment in journalistic history. True enough, sure, but must we really stare in gape-mouthed amazement at the obvious? And yet, last Thursday, my jaw went slack on me. “WTO protests fail to sway Canadians,” read the banner headline in the Post. “Most support free trade talks, federal poll finds.”

In Case You Missed Seattle, Heeere’s Washington

April 12th, 2000

My friend Mez is getting on a bus to Washington, D.C., on Saturday. I asked him why, and he said with all this intensity: “Look, I missed Seattle. There’s no way I’m missing Washington.”

Here Come the Students

April 5th, 2000

Follow the logo.

If there is a guiding principle in the current wave of student activism, that is it.

My Mafiaboy

March 13th, 2000

Dear Mafiaboy,

As I write this, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are closing in on your position. Maybe you are already behind bars, imprisoned for crimes against Yahoo. They say you had something to do with the rash of attacks that crippled some of the most powerful commercial sites on the Net this month.