The cost of bad data

Catching up. Somehow I got behind a day. Here is today’s catch-up discussion. It is one that bothered me because I WANT to have my opinions about our community heard.

So, I decided to complete a recent Town Survey. What a sham! In the survey, there is a question about who we rely on for local news. In a list of possible selections was the controversial publication Beach Booster. In my opinion, it was used to criticize the previous Council for things monthly. They were not used for advertising by that Council because of their unfair journalistic standards.

Of course with Brian Smith in the Mayors chair again, the municipal funds have resumed flowing again to beach booster.

I do not consider it a source for news as much as I consider it propaganda. So WHY was it mandatory to check off Beach Booster and rank it from 1-8. It got 8 from me but ONLY because I could not submit the survey without checking off an option. The option to not select it was not possible. If you did not select it, the survey would not complete.

Here is the problem. In future statements by the Town, they can now say 100% of those filling in the survey consider Beach Booster a source of news.

Come on Mayor Smith, why would you sign off on a biased survey like this? I think I know, but I will leave it for you to explain. Happy to discuss it right here.

There are a thousand free instructional websites that can teach those in charge how to design effective, reliable surveys. But… if you know the answers you want to see before you ask the questions, I guess there is no need to design a survey properly……