Dear Editor,
I wish to express my grave concern about a “poll” which was published in Stabroek News on May 6, 2008. Incidentally, Stabroek News was the only newspaper that carried the “poll results.”
It is incumbent that newspapers publish items that are judged to be accurate based on elements of sound data. If this data is based on solid facts, then the newspaper’s publishers will do the Guyanese great service to publish such an article. If the article is based on questionable data and not supported with good factual information, a published article will do more harm than good which is the case with the recently published “poll.”
The writer claimed that 890 people were interviewed for the “poll.” Who are these 890 people? Is this a random sample or all 890 individuals connected with the political parties and know the inside scoop? If the latter is true, this is not a poll but an exercise in monitoring the political wind! The writer will augment the article’s credibility if his sampling process was identified.
Further, the writer claims that the poll has a margin of error of 4 per cent this number determined?
The writer certainly leaves more questions than answers. I would humbly request that editors of Stabroek News refrain from publishing articles of questionable accuracy since it does not help the credibility of a newspaper if such articles are published.
An individual trained in the pure and applied sciences, like myself, may be tempted to believe that the writer has inside connections with Stabroek News! As a result, his “poll results” were published by Stabroek News. I have no inside connections with any newpaper and so Stabroek News can opt to print this letter or not.
Finally, with the writer’s prior claim of almost 100% polling accuracy, why would someone not choose an international referred journal to publish his findings rather than the Stabroek News? As I mentioned, the article leaves more questions than answers. Can the printed article stand the test of scrutiny? At this time, I don’t think so.
Yours faithfully,
Dr Anand Persaud
Editor’s note
Mr Vishnu Bisram has been carrying out polls in this country and elsewhere for some years. As is the practice with news organizations in other countries, we have in the past commissioned Mr Bisram to undertake a poll for us, and on this occasion we made a financial contribution to his expenses.
While we have exclusivity in terms of publication, we have nothing to do with how the poll is conducted. Why Dr Anand Persaud should believe that the results of a poll about Guyanese opinion of interest primarily to Guyanese should be published in some medium outside this country, is something of a mystery.Mr Bisram has in the past explained his methodology, and we will send a copy of this letter to him so he can do it in this instance. As an “individual trained in the pure and applied sciences,” Dr Anand Persaud is no doubt aware that before he passes judgement it is necessary to weigh the evidence first.
