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Beth Martin's avatar

What an EXCELLENT analysis of what appears to me (who’s conducted and published rigorous scientific research) very lazy, sloppy and biased work by these two Harvard Professors.

I’m also disappointed in the student editors who had an opportunity to apply and use their creative minds, critical thinking skills and their academic freedom to actually fact check and rigorously apply high journalistic standards before just blithely publishing the Professors work.

I do hope you sent those two Professors a copy of your article because they REALLY need some honest reality based feedback.

Well done Alec, I do so love reading your work!

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Kathy Howell's avatar

Thank you for this analysis. I wanted to add to one small point- on the use by police forces of PR and communications to propagate their inaccurate and false info. The Better Government Association in Chicago did an analysis of funds spent on PR by the city of Chicago - more than double that of peer cities.

"A dramatic increase in police PR staff took place during Emanuel’s second term, following the murder of Laquan McDonald by Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke. The 2016 budget, which was prepared in 2015 while the Emanuel administration was fighting a public records request and subsequent lawsuit that eventually forced the release of the shooting footage, increased the police department’s public relations team from six full-time employees to 25. Additional staff in the 2017, 2018 and 2019 budgets more than doubled CPD’s communications staff to a peak of 52 full-time employees in Emanuel’s last year in office."

Report at https://www.bettergov.org/news/analysis-chicago-outspends-and-outstaffs-nyc-la-on-communications-and-public-relations/

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