Tag Archive: factcheck

Apr 19

Do the research

factcheck

It’s been a busy week, between Freelance Forum and its aftermath, and a few other things. But there was one advantage to being busy doing other things. Without the newsmag constantly to the forefront of my mind, occasional thoughts would pop up from angles I hadn’t considered before. Given the week that’s in it – …

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Feb 20

Reality Check

I want facts. And that means that often, some of my most productive reading is on blogs. Bloggers (unpaid, writing in their spare time, dismissed as hobbyists by “proper” journalists) produce the goods often enough to keep me coming back. Whether its Tony Humphreys‘ views on autism, a questionable advertising claim, or alleged social welfare …

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Feb 08

Conventional wisdom: What everybody knows

Tuesday, John Murray held a phone-in to find a listener with the lowest bass singing voice in Ireland. As a throwaway remark, voice coach Paul Moussoulides said research showed listeners of both sexes preferred male voices on the radio. What research? WomenOnAir founder Margaret E Ward spent some time looking for this frequently cited research. …

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Feb 06

What’s my line?

A barman, a TV repairman, four trade union officials, five solicitors, a salesman, a stockbroker, a publican, a post office clerk, two postmasters, a political advisor, four political party officials, an operations manager, a plant hire company owner, a painter/decorator, a newsagent, a management consultant, a fisherman, a FAS community employment scheme supervisor, fourteen farmers, …

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Jan 08

Flying by the seat of your pants

Image via MorgueFile

Last week, the Sunday Independent front page carried a Ryanair story. Michael O’Leary addressed a conference on innovation, the newspaper reported, where he outlined how the European Commission invited him to Brussels, but refused to pay for his flight because it was booked through Ryanair. And he said he was told “there is a ban …

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