Western Standard Removes Conflict of Interest Altogether!

So why’d the Western Standard remove some info from its website?

As I pointed out, the Western Standard is misleading readers to believe that they hired some independent pollster, a Ph.D. guy from JMCK Communications.

Granted, the Western Standard does disclose the fact that two JMCK people are also co-founding managers of his magazine, but this is not disclosed in the poll itself. (Note - you will get a blank page if you click on that hypertext. You’ll find out why).

Did ya know that? Does it matter?

Ezra doesn’t think so, because plenty of media outlets have in-house pollsters.

It gets worse. We actually paid Faron to do the poll — we paid him! Money!

Uh, what’s the problem here? Most major media have ongoing relationships with house pollsters — the Globe and the Post both come to mind. If you have an issue with our poll’s methodology, let’s hear it. But if it’s that we have used, are using, and will continue to use (and pay!) Faron, a PhD with an impeccable reputation, I think you’ll coming across as a little bit paranoid.

Or maybe he does think so, because the page I linked to on the Shotgun has moved, as in “been deleted”. Funny timing for site upkeep, no?

Oh, but thanks, Google Cache.

And you guys are accusing me of being paranoid?

Come ON.

. . . waits for Ezra to put it back up . . .

UPDATE: August 5th. Nope. Not up yet.