All articles by Robert Shone

How to deconstruct our lying media
Robert Shone — July 12, 2010 15 Comments
Media criticism comes in many forms – the approaches of meta-journalism, propaganda model and frame semantics work well together, but the semantics method is relatively new and urgently needs investing with time, effort and funding. Meanwhile, dogmatic applications of the propaganda model lead to intolerance and closed beliefs.
Media

Dubious polls: How accurate are Iraq’s death counts?
Robert Shone — June 30, 2010 2 Comments
The 2006 Lancet study on Iraqi deaths has received a 2010 “Top Ten Dubious Polling” award, following criticism of the study’s lead author by the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR). Are these merely agenda-driven attacks on credible research, or do they represent accurate and justified criticisms?
Editor's Pick, Media

The logic of collective punishment
Robert Shone — June 14, 2010 3 Comments
Is all collective punishment unjust? There are logical arguments for and against punishing people collectively in the cases of the BP oil-spill, the Israeli attack on the Gaza-bound convoy, etc. Is it ever justified to punish people who are “innocent” of the wrongdoing?
Editor's Pick, Psychology

“Passive” death-counts in Iraq have merit
Robert Shone — June 1, 2010 3 Comments
A media-based count of war dead may be incomplete; a survey estimate may be erroneous due to sampling bias – such things have nothing to do with relative passivity/activity. So why is the phrase “passive surveillance” used? In fact, it’s misleading
Editor's Pick, Politics
Robert Shone
UK
UK-based media activist. Has written for Media Hell (mediahell.org) and ZNet. Runs the Dissident 93 blog (http://dissident93.wordpress.com/), whose main purpose is to "uncover facts and research which has been overlooked or ignored by alternative and mainstream media – with particular emphasis on Iraq mortality studies".
http://dissident93.wordpress.com/