Calling the Associated Press out on bullshit tactics

Disability Activists Blast AP For Badly Botched Kevorkian Survey, Reports Not Dead Yet

AP-Ipsos Poll on Kevorkian Inaccurate and Misleading

For Immediate Release

FOREST PARK, Ill./EWORLDWIRE/May 31, 2007 --- Disability activists from Not Dead Yet have demanded corrective action from the Associated Press after the release of poll data just three days prior to the parole of Jack Kevorkian. Kevorkian has served eight years on a second-degree murder conviction for his killing of Thomas Youk by lethal injection.

According to a widely-distributed AP story announcing the results, 53 percent of the respondents disagreed with Kevorkian's incarceration.

According to disability activists who have followed Kevorkian's career closely, the results are highly suspect since the question the public was given misled it in regard to the nature of Kevorkian's crime and the characteristics of his overall "body count."

According to the AP, the survey asked the following question:

"Do you think that Michigan doctor Jack Kevorkian should have been jailed for assisting terminally ill people end their own life, or not?"

"This question misinforms the respondent about the nature of the crime Kevorkian was convicted of and also mischaracterizes the health status of the majority of people who died at his hands. As anyone who watched the 60-Minutes telecast knows, Kevorkian directly injected lethal chemicals into Thomas Youk. This is not 'assistance'," says Stephen Drake, Not Dead Yet's research analyst. "Further, the word 'people' is paired with 'terminally ill', indicating that the majority of his body count consisted of people who were close to death." Beginning with the Detroit Free Press series 'The Suicide Machine' in 1997, there is overwhelming documentation that the majority of people who went to Kevorkian had non-lethal chronic conditions and disabilities.

Diane Coleman, president of Not Dead Yet, personally contacted Trevor Thompson, the AP's Manager of News Surveys, to demand a retraction and correction.

"Mr. Thompson eventually agreed the question didn't jive with the facts of Kevorkian's career or conviction but rejected any corrective action after consulting with the D.C. Bureau Chief, Sandy Johnson. Johnson claimed that the story about the poll was accurate, disregarding responsibility for contaminating the poll with a misleading question."

Carol Gill, Ph.D., agrees with the concerns of Not Dead Yet. "All good survey designers know that misleading questions produce invalid results. When participants are asked to respond to inaccurate and confusing items, the result is spoiled data. Unfortunately, this poll contained flawed questions. It's impossible to base sound conclusions on these results." Professor Gill is a research psychologist and associate professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Drake adds that the refusal of Thompson and Johnson to address the misinformation in the poll is a violation of the AP's public "Statement on Values and Principles," which calls for swift and comprehensive corrective action when it publishes erroneous information.

"This is worse than the usual error," says Drake. "In this case, it created news in the form of a survey and then reported on that fabrication. Instead of simply reporting misinformation, AP has created the information in a way that superficially resembles scientific sampling. It has knowingly polluted the public discussion about an important public policy topic - and the organization is refusing to take responsibility for it."

Dennis Kucinich Interview -5/19/07

Here is a 13 minute interview with Dennis Kucinich, I got two other events from this Saturday, however, I was using a rather low quality digital camera and I did *NO* editing on this interview as I wanted it up ASAP. It is very likely that this site will be getting new (to us!) video equipment soon. More updates soon!

More on Human 2.0

Human 2.0 was absolutely amazing - An Excellent web cast archive is on the MIT Media Lab's site. I almost wish they'd throw it up on Google video so it can be downloaded to a PC easier. Too many amazing highlights - it was cool seeing the Hockenberry Family making a day of daddy's new job. It was my first time meeting Zoe and Olivia, they seemed really shy, but at the end of the day, Daddy's wheelchairs was the coolest play toy. Oops...I'm jumping ahead. The auditorium was extremely hot, but it was a gorgeous day out.

I'm trying to remember what presentation was my favorite and it's totally impossible to rank it. The speech between design guru Michael Graves and John Hockenberry was stellar. That and Oliver Sacks speech was the highlight of the morning. Well and the mid morning break when Hockenberry's wife said hi to me and knowingly asked "Did you whoop when John came out?" Umm Guilty... Yeah, when your friends email you saying "I so totally heard you on the web cast." Look okay in my mind,it was like a concert and it even got Frank Moss stoked. It wasn't the worst thing I've ever done.

Afternoon was spent trying to figure out if my digital camera was dead (it wasn't) but my video is horrid compared to the media lab web cast. I was also agonizing how to figure out how to introduce myself to Amanda Baggs, and sent emails to mutual acquaintances, I was not going to bug her, since she has all the CNN lovers bugging her and like, that WAS cool, but her website against Autism Speaks was so much better. I ended up waiting for Hockenberry and so was she, and we ended up talking for a while and she is such an amazing writer and just has such a grasp on trying issues together or describing sensations or really good conferences. Well, she writes incredibly well and she is very verbose. Do a Google search on her name to find her blog. There is literally hundreds of posts and it is so good, like - it makes this stuff look very, VERY, lame.

The stuff from Hugh Herr about prosthetics and amputees and the strongest ankles in the world was really cool. He also seemed cool when I chatted with him after the event.

But the high point, well there were several, but Dan Ellby totally rocked the house down. Watch the last twenty minutes of the web cast for his song. He needs an Ep on Itunes, trying to describe his work lends me to say ambient electronica, but with orchestetration like mu-ziq or warp records stuff. As Dan finished, Hockenberry rolled out on a modified Segway that had a seat, and Hugh Herr climbed this Extremely DIFFICULT rock wall as a end. it reminded me of Moby's Play Tour encore of "Thousands", but with much more crip powered geekiness.

The end of the conference led to wierd hor d'overs, and a catered full bar. And someone who let ME, spastic dorkiness, try a segway. The Segway was so completely cool. I ski, I have rode a half pipe on a skateboard and bike, and the segway was just so totally...COOL. Hockenberry said I had the biggest smile on my face, and given the drama the week had provided (wierd family issues), that was a definite upgrade for me.

(i really should post that photo of me on the segway but it is late...)

Interview with a Presidental candidate coming soon

Mike R.

Human 2.0 blogging

first a required photo of John Hockenberry

From images-2007

ok, Loads of people here - michael graves, Amanda Baggs, Oliver Sachs, right now Bill Mitchell is speaking. It is a great conference, tho it is extremely hot in the auditoium. MIT is streaming it online at http://www.media.mit.edu/.