E D I T O R I A L

Lies, Damned Lies
and . . . BSUG News

As a media reader/viewer/user it is PC to be critical of the media (yes, they are plural really), yet Jekyll and Hyde-like, donning the editorial green eye-shade and grabbing the blue pencil, one realises that one is one of them. We conform to media practice, offering a mix of news, developments and critical comment. We hope it is clear which is which as sometimes the two merge imperceptibly. 

Why are we often critical of the media? Because they concentrate on the sensational, the bad news, the often less than 100% accurate, the speculative, the inescapable spinning, the door-stepping, the muck-raking. Yet, with our subject matter of “lies, damned lies and…”, we are squarely in the frame from the start, though here we are concerned with finer points and sometimes misuse of statistics. 

At the Statistics Commission’s 2nd Annual Report July launch meeting, its Chairman highlighted the treatment of Network Railtrack assets and pension fund statistics by ONS as examples of matters which needed to be scrutinised, but he retained an open mind on whether there had been wrong-doing. 

Thus we remain a watchdog on a watchdog. 

Finally, please note the important message about our planned future publishing arrangements.