 |
|
Letter to the Indiana Daily Student from COUNT US! April 26, 2004: Reading the IDS article: Local groups express concern with I-69 work, we question your practice of discrediting citizens with journalistic disclaimers like opponents claim" and make "allegation". Like many of the state's newspapers, citizen's comments are presented, with skeptical modifiers while INDOT and government officials statements are not similarly treated. To gain objectivity, a Danish Government funded a study of USA highway funding looked for the answer to "Why do highway projects always come in over budget?". The conclusion to this study, State DOT officials understate costs, overstate benefits and even lie, in order to do what they do....build highways. To find this respected study, do a google for "Underestimating Costs in Public Works Projects: Error or Lie," by Bent Flyvbjerg, Mette Skamris Holm, and Soren Buhl. It is available as a PDF file at http://home.planet.nl/~viss1197/japaflyvbjerg.pdf Our INDOT carries on this tradition, lead by an Evansville University graduate of Political Science. The comments of these "officials" should not be given preferred treatment. Our State’s media needs to function as a “free press” guardian of “public” interests by treating public officials' comments regarding I-69 no better than the researched comments of concerned citizen groups. |
© COUNT US! 2002 -'03,'04 |
