More Criticism for Starbucks' Coffee Cup

Starbucks' coffee cup isn't spared another year of criticism. In 2015, Donald Trump, before he was president, said the company participated in a "War on Christmas" because its cup was a solid red color with no Christmas symbols.

This year, the company is accused of having a "gay agenda." At one point during the promotional video, two women have their hands on a cup and are looking at each other. A company spokesperson said, "This year's hand-drawn cup features scenes of celebrating with loved ones-whoever they may be. We intentionally designed the cup so our customers can interpret it in their own way, adding their own color and illustrations."

A compilation of Starbucks Christmas coffee cups shows an interesting history. The first holiday cups, in 1997, were in four colors, none of which were red. Also, although this year's cup is identified as "not red," many of the drawings are red.

Starbucks is no stranger to controversy. During the political firestorm earlier this year, CEO Howard Schultz promised to hire 10,000 refugees by 2022.

Discussion:

• How do you interpret the coffee cup? What does it mean to you? Do you think Starbucks is trying to promote a "gay agenda"?
• This may be another example of "brand activism." Should Starbucks stay out of the fray or take a stand on some issues? What are the advantages and downsides of each approach?

More Than You Want to Know About Fonts

This may be more than mere mortals and business writers need to know, but typography is interesting. We often use default fonts that Microsoft chooses for us, but this graphic shows the many variables among them.

The most commonly known term is probably serif, shown here as 28 on the third row. The letter h in this font has small lines at the bottom. These "legs" are missing in sans-serif fonts, which means they are "without" them. Serif fonts include Times New Roman, Garamond, and Georgia (this one), while standard sans-serif fonts are Arial and Calibri.

Fonts can reflect a company or style of writing. Disney and others have their own special fonts, which could be fun for headings but may be too much for body text. People are long tired of Comic Sans, which is cute for K-12 documents but little else. Serif fonts tend to be more formal looking, while sans-serif are more informal.

Although presenters get creative in choosing fonts, a common problem is using a font that isn't installed on another computer. For example, you create a PPT file on one computer, but when you open the file on another and the font isn't available, the new computer will choose a default. This messes up alignment because the two fonts may be different sizes. More specifically, from the glossary at right, the character width, ascender height, or x-height may be different.

Some fonts are wholly unreadable and should be avoided entirely. Impact, for example, should be used sparingly for large headings only.

Discussion:

• Do you have a favorite font? What do you like about it?
• Have you tried different fonts for different purposes? How did it turn out?

Pizza Hut and Papa John's Jump into NFL Controversy

Should CEOs get involved in political controversies? While some applaud "brand activism," others criticize business leaders who don't agree with their views.

Papa John's CEO has been vocal about the business impact of NFL players not standing during the national anthem. When explaining same-store sales, John Schnatter blamed NFL leadership:

"We are totally disappointed that the NFL and its leadership did not resolve the ongoing situation to the satisfaction of all parties long ago. This should have been nipped in the bud a year and a half ago."

Schnatter also said, "Leadership starts at the top, and this is an example of poor leadership." Schnatter contributed $1,000 to President Trump's election campaign and is aligned with the president's views on the subject. He blamed the "polarizing" actions of team members for causing declining viewership and fewer pizza orders. 

But others say NFL viewership was declining long before this political controversy, and Pizza Hut jumped into the conversation. Greg Creed, CEO of Yum! Brands, Pizza Hut's parent company, said the NFL hasn't affected its sales at all.

Daniel Roberts tweeted stock comparisons on Yahoo to show that Papa John's (in red) has been declining for some time. Yum Brands is in blue. But we should be careful about comparing "apples and oranges" here.

Discussion:

• How is the stock comparison flawed? (Hint: What companies are compared?)
• What do you think of Papa John's CEO's statements? Should he stay out of it, or is he right to express his views?
• How is this story an issue of leader integrity?

Comparing Data About Drug Overdoses

We can talk about the opioid crisis and try to persuade people in many ways: by telling stories, showing pictures, or presenting data. The number of deaths from all drug overdoses in 2016 is 64,070, but without more context or comparisons, it's hard to know what this number means. Is it a lot?

One important data point for context is the U.S. population, which is about 324 million. Still, does this convince you this is a "crisis," as the media calls it?

One convincing approach is to compare the number of deaths. When we compare the figure to deaths from car accidents, AIDS, and the Vietnam War, we see that, indeed, the deaths from drug overdoses are significant-at least compared to other death tolls we consider significant.

Here's an example of a simple bar chart to represent these numbers visually.

Image source (pills).

Discussion:

• What other comparisons could work well to convince an audience that drug addiction is a serious issue?
• A different approach is to personalize the crisis. I heard an interview with someone who almost died from an overdose, and he said that, about every six months, someone he knows dies from an overdose of opioids. How compelling do you find this report? What are the potential downsides of using this type of description?

Some Good News, But a Terrible Graphic

George Soros has given $18 billion to The Open Society Foundations, his grant-giving organizations. A spokesperson for the group said the transfer "reflects an ongoing process of asset transfer that has been underway for several years." She also said that Soros, "plans to leave the vast majority of his wealth to the Open Society foundations." His fortune is estimated at more than $26 billion.

The 87-year-old Hungarian has been criticized for aiding refugees and influencing local politics. On the website, The Open Society Foundations identify the mission and vision, including this first statement:

The Open Society Foundations work to build vibrant and tolerant societies whose governments are accountable and open to the participation of all people.

The website also shows this graphic for expenditures.

Discussion:

• Should the organization say more about the money transfer? I don't see a statement on the website. Why do you think the spokesperson didn't provide a more extensive statement?
• I say the chart is "terrible." Do you agree? Why or why not? Which principles of visual communication are followed, and which are lacking?

Comms About Hurricane Harvey

As Texas prepares for Hurricane Harvey, government officials and news organizations are preparing communications to help:

• President Trump issued a statement about monitoring the storm and encouraging people to evacuate if they are in the Hurricane's path. The president is also tweeting about the storm.
• His statement points to Ready.gov, a website rich with resources for preparing families in case of flooding, hurricanes, or extreme heat.
• CNN's website shows live updates of the storm's path.
• The National Hurricane Center is posting coastal warnings and a visual of the cone.
• Texas Governor Greg Abbott was interviewed by BBC and is hosting a meeting to plan emergency operations. (His website includes a tweet but nothing else yet about the storm.)

And, of course, the media is covering the storm with bold headlines:

• "Major disaster" (BBC)
• "Monster storm" (Washington Post)
• "Could be much worse than Sandy" (NY Post)

Image source.

Discussion:

• Explore Ready.gov. What do you notice about the key messages, organization, and use of visuals? How easy is it to find information?
• Ready.gov, as of now, doesn't feature Hurricane Harvey; it's generic. Should the site be updated to feature the storm? Why or why not?
• Also explore Governor Abbott's website. Does this site feature the hurricane yet? How do you think the hurricane should be positioned here?

Is Poland Spring Water from Poland Spring?

A consumer lawsuit accuses Pepsi of falsely promoting Poland Spring Water. The product is marketed as "100% Poland Spring water," but the plaintiff group of 11 say it's really ground water. The company is accused of false advertising and misleading customers, and the plaintiffs seek $50 million in damages.

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), spring water has a specific definition: "Spring water shall be collected only at the spring or through a bore hole tapping the underground formation feeding the spring. There shall be a natural force causing the water to flow to the surface through a natural orifice." Although a Poland Spring did exist in Maine, according to the suit, it dried up almost 50 years ago.

The accusations are an issue of behavioral integrity, as my colleague Tony Simons defines it: doing what you say you will do. In other words, does Nestle Water promise something it doesn't deliver?

Nestle Waters denies the claims. In response to the suit, the company created an extensive web page with a brief statement, two videos, and an infographic. The statement reads as follows:

For more than 170 years, Poland Spring® has delivered great tasting spring water from Maine to millions of people in the Northeast. The claims made in the lawsuit are without merit and an obvious attempt to manipulate the legal system for personal gain. Poland Spring® is 100% spring water. It meets the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations defining spring water, all state regulations governing spring classification for standards of identity, as well as all federal and state regulations governing spring water collection, good manufacturing practices, product quality and labeling. We remain highly confident in our legal position.

They are taking a strong approach to counter the claims, and they accuse the plaintiffs of seeking personal gain. One of the videos, only 30 seconds, demonstrates principles of persuasion: emotional appeal, logical argument, and credibility.

Discussion:

• What elements of persuasion (pathos, logos, ethos) do you find in the video example? What other communication strategies does Nestle Water use on its web page?

• Analyze the full infographic from this page. What communication design principles does the infographic illustrate? How could it be improved?

• Given what little we know so far about the case, what's your view? Do you side more with the plaintiffs or with Nestle Water?

Line Chart Example

A New York Times article and corresponding charts show how income inequality has increased. In 1980, low- and middle-income people saw healthy increases in income growth. In 2014, those in the lower income percentiles saw the least growth, while the highest income earners saw the most growth.

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The chart is different from a traditional line chart, which shows change over time. Each line, in this example, represents one year, and the X axis represents income level. It's effective because we see the dramatic difference between the two sample years, with a notable intersection around the 95th percentile and then a steep curve up for the very wealthy.

The Times, of course, tends to be a liberal paper, and the message is clearly anti-Trump's tax policies, but the chart illustrates the point well.

Additional charts show changes over time, and the Times calls this piece "interactive." The lines move, but "interactive" may be an overstatement.

Discussion:

• What main points do you take away from the chart?
• What's missing from the chart? How might Republicans who promote tax breaks for the wealthy argue with the representation?
• What other visuals could be useful to illustrate the points?
• How could you make the charts more interactive?

Audi Vehicle Shipments: Stacked Column

Last month, I wrote about creative charts posted by Business Insider. Today, the news website posted a traditional stacked column chart-an effective way to show parts of a whole.

The chart, at right, shows the estimated number of Audi vehicles declining slightly between 2017 and 2025. At the bottom of each column, we see gradually increasing numbers of semi- and fully autonomous vehicle shipments.

Of course, the chart isn't perfect. The numbers within each column would be easier to read with commas, and people who are color blind have trouble distinguishing between red and green, so they may not see clearly the difference between semi-autonomous and traditional vehicles.

But this chart is much better than an example I use in class from a Cornell Daily Sun article. The chart, recreated at left, uses stacked columns incorrectly and causes obvious problems in data comparisons. The red section labeled Asian American, 15.2%, is smaller than the red section labeled Native American, .5%. Intuitively, we know there are fewer Native American students on campus than Asian American, but the visual is skewed.

Discussion:

• What are some other examples for which a stacked column chart would work well?
• Recreate the chart at left. What would be a better way to display the data?

Is a Bad Wine Label a Turnoff?

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Visuals matter, particularly for wine sales. I'm interested in the topic because friends just gave me a bottle labeled "Cow Tipping" for the fun name and graphic. But apparently not everyone agrees with this strategy for choosing wine.

In the past, wine labels have been traditional, featuring images of a chataeu, for example, but winemakers-and wine marketers-have gotten creative. Yet not all designs work well.

Bloomberg called out six bottles for "terrible labels." Zinfandels, the article says, are particularly vulnerable to off-beat labeling: Plungerhead Old Vine and Zombie Zin are two examples. Others have a creepy eye leering out at the consumer or a blindfolded prisoner. For many of these, the author suggests, "Don't serve it by candlelight on a first date."

The article also tells us what we already know: sometimes beautiful packaging has no correlation with price, quality, or taste.

Discussion:

• To what extent does a wine label influence your decision to buy?
• Go to a local wine store. What catches your eye? Do you notice any correlation between label design and price?

Creative Charts

Business Insider gathered up a few Apple charts they call "eye popping." Some are useful and well done, while others are pretty but confusing.

This first one, by Ishtyaq Habib, is beautiful but impossible to read at a normal size. Zoom in five or six times, and you can read that these are company representations. Color coding by industry is clever, but why aren't they grouped together? Profit as the internal circle and revenue external is also clever, but the scale is so small. I imagine this as a terrific poster.

Next is a Wall Street Journal line chart comparing Apple sales to other products. It's clear and easy to read.

A WSJ stacked bar chart is also well done. As percentages of a whole, the chart shows the comparisons by year clearly. The title is cute-"slide of the pie"-but may not be appropriate for business audiences. Also the colors are pale and babyish. I'm not sure why these were chosen, and I wonder whether people who are color blind would have a problem distinguishing the pink and blue next to each other.

Discussion:

• What do you think of these charts? Look at the Business Insider article for more. Analyze them against principles from Chapter 9.
• How could the color bubble chart be improved? The concept is great; it's just unreadable.

United Announces New Policies

United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz has found some strength and a way out of the situation that angered so many around the world. The company admits that dragging a man off of a flight two weeks ago wasn't the best way to make room for four United employees.

The company has published "Changes We're Making" in an email to loyalty members, in videos, on its website, in a report, and in an interview with NBC News. The website statement begins as follows:

We are making changes to ensure that we always put customers first

By United Airlines

April 27, 2017

Earlier this month, we disappointed our customers and ourselves when a passenger was forcibly removed from one of our planes. We can never say we are sorry enough for what occurred, but we also know meaningful actions will speak louder than words.

We committed to take action as a result of this incident, and today marks the first step in changing how we fly, serve and respect our customers.

 In the email with the subject line, "Actions Speak Louder than Words," United summarized its most significant policy changes:

We will increase incentives for voluntary rebooking up to $10,000 and will be eliminating the red tape on permanently lost bags with a new "no-questions-asked" $1,500 reimbursement policy. We will also be rolling out a new app for our employees that will enable them to provide on-the-spot goodwill gestures in the form of miles, travel credit and other amenities when your experience with us misses the mark. 

The $10,000 offer for re-booking is particularly clever: it's a generous amount, and it's unlikely the airline will have to pay that much.

Meanwhile, the airline settled with Dr. Dao for an undisclosed amount. Good idea to end the nightmare. The last thing United needs is more publicity about the case.

Discussion:

• How are they doing? Analyze the audience, communication objectives, content, and writing and presentation styles. Also consider the timing and policy changes.
• Read the full report. Which principles of report writing are allowed, and what could be improved?
• To what extent will these communications and policy changes affect United's image?

Snapchat Is 'Only for Rich People'?

Snap

In 2015, did Snapchat founder Evan Spiegel say the app is "only for rich people" and that he didn't "want to expand into poor countries like India and Spain"? That's the claim by a former employee who is suing Snap Inc. for wrongful termination. Anthony Pompliano alleges he was fired after accusing the senior leadership team of inflating app metrics before the IPO.

Snapchat poor

Pompliano says the company falsely advertised the number of daily active users (DAU), violated a non-solicitation and non-compete agreement, and exaggerated growth and retention data. Pompliano claims that Speigel's response about poor countries came when he suggested going into international markets to expand the user base.

A representative for Snap responded:

"This is ridiculous. Obviously, Snapchat is for everyone! It's available worldwide to download for free. Those words were written by a disgruntled former employee. We are grateful for our Snapchat community in India and around the world."

Snap doesn't deny data discrepancies, but says they aren't as significant as Pompliano claims. Pompliano contends that the discrepancies indicate "a wide-spread, systemic failure in Snapchat's internal controls over its user data." A Fortune article warns that questions about user registrations and engagement could be important to investors, who bought stock in what Fortune calls a "giant IPO" that "just proved we're in a tech bubble."

Discussion:

• Let's assume Spiegel made those comments. Do you find them offensive, taken out of context, or something else?
• How well did Snap handle the response?
• How serious are Pompliano's claims? What effect, if any, do you think they might have on investors?

Wells Fargo Blames a Manager

Wells Fargo Traffic

An investigation led by Wells Fargo's board into the practices that led to thousands of false accounts blames Carrie Tolstedt, the former head of the retail division: 

The root cause of sales practice failures was the distortion of the Community Bank's sales culture and performance management system, which, when combined with aggressive sales management, created pressure on employees to sell unwanted or unneeded products to customers and, in some cases, to open unauthorized accounts.

The report also says the former CEO John Stumpf was "too slow" to investigate possible issues. The report is public on Wells Fargo's website.

Tolstedt's lawyers dispute the allegations. Stumpf once referred to Tolstedt as the "best banker in America." Reuters reported:

Tolstedt was perceived by high-level employees as having the support of Stumpf, with whom it was considered best to avoid raising problems with.

"Stumpf was ultimately responsible for enterprise risk management at Wells Fargo, but was not perceived within Wells Fargo as someone who wanted to hear bad news or deal with conflict," the report said.

Duke Law School Professor James Cox told Reuters, "There's a tremendous amount of pressure from regulators to throw someone under the bus. If they don't, then Wells Fargo is going to be even more in the crosshairs."

In a statement, "Wells Fargo Statement Regarding Board Investigation into the Community Bank's Retail Sales Practices," CEO and President Tim Sloan summarized actions the bank has taken: // <![CDATA[ // <![CDATA[ // <![CDATA[ // <![CDATA[ // if this line executes, then javascript is turned on and we'll therefore remove the no-js class from the HTML tag document.documentElement.className = document.documentElement.className.replace(/(^|\s)no-js(\s|$)/, '$1$2'); // ]]> // ]]> // ]]> // ]]</p></div>

New Facebook App for Spotting Fake News

Facebook is launching a new app for spotting what the company is calling "false news and hoaxes." In a blog post titled "A New Educational Tool Against Misinformation," the company explains the new tool:

We know people want to see accurate information on Facebook – and so do we. False news and hoaxes are harmful to our community and make the world less informed. All of us have a responsibility to curb the spread of false news.

At Facebook we have been focusing on three key areas:

• disrupting economic incentives because most false news is financially motivated;
• building new products to curb the spread of false news; and
• helping people make more informed decisions when they encounter false news.

Facebook and Google has been under pressure to address the increasing number of offensive and incorrect posts on their sites. This is Facebook's latest strategy to take responsibility and address the criticism that such sites are not doing enough.

The tool offers the following advice:

1. Be skeptical of headlines. False news stories often have catchy headlines in all caps with exclamation points. If shocking claims in the headline sound unbelievable, they probably are.

2. Look closely at the URL. A phony or look-alike URL may be a warning sign of false news. Many false news sites mimic authentic news sources by making small changes to the URL. You can go to the site and compare the URL to established sources.

3. Investigate the source. Ensure that the story is written by a source that you trust with a reputation for accuracy. If the story comes from an unfamiliar organization, check their "About" section to learn more.

4. Watch for unusual formatting. Many false news sites have misspellings or awkward layouts. Read carefully if you see these signs.

5. Consider the photos. False news stories often contain manipulated images or videos. Sometimes the photo may be authentic, but taken out of context. You can search for the photo or image to verify where it came from.

6. Inspect the dates. False news stories may contain timelines that make no sense, or event dates that have been altered.

7. Check the evidence. Check the author's sources to confirm that they are accurate. Lack of evidence or reliance on unnamed experts may indicate a false news story.

8. Look at other reports. If no other news source is reporting the same story, it may indicate that the story is false. If the story is reported by multiple sources you trust, it's more likely to be true.

9. Is the story a joke? Sometimes false news stories can be hard to distinguish from humor or satire. Check whether the source is known for parody, and whether the story's details and tone suggest it may be just for fun.

10. Some stories are intentionally false. Think critically about the stories you read, and only share news that you know to be credible.

Discussion:

• To what extent do you think this will address the concerns about fake news?
• Which of the suggestions for spotting fake news do you find most and least helpful? Which are more obvious than others?
• What else, if anything, should Facebook do?

Infographic Gets Panned on Twitter

InvestmentZen, which encourages financial independence, created an infographic with advice for living on minimum wage, currently $7.25 per hour. Suggestions include selling your car, moving to a less expensive city, and recognizing that "a lot of the best things in life are free."

Reactions are generally not positive. Twitter users are taking offense at some of the advice, pointing out that, for example, not everyone has the flexibility to move across country. Part of the infographic identifies "excuses" for not moving, including "All of my friends and family live here." Sounds like a good reason to stay put to me, particularly for people living in poverty or close to it.

Others on the Twitter thread note the missing expenses of moving, doing laundry, and children should anyone choose to have them. An obvious logical flaw is in suggesting people sell their car, yet suggesting picking up some Uber shifts.

This reminds me (and others) of a 2013 McDonald's website with advice to employees, including getting a second job. To help employees manage expenses, the site showed a sample monthly budget with $25 for health insurance. McDonald's pulled the site and published this statement:

We have offered the McResource program to help our valued McDonald's employees with work and life guidance created by independent third party experts. A combination of factors has led us to re-evaluate, and we've directed the vendor to take down the website. Between links to irrelevant or outdated information, along with outside groups taking elements out of context, this created unwarranted scrutiny and inappropriate commentary. None of this helps our McDonald's team members. We'll continue to provide service to our folks through an internal telephone help line, which is how the majority of employees access the McResource services.

Discussion:

• Analyze the full infographic. What visual and organizational design principles from Chapter 9 in the text are used?
• What other logical flaws can you identify?
• Overall, do you find the advice useful, or does it enrage you as it does some Twitter users? Should InvestmentZen pull the infographic and issue a statement as McDonald's did in 2013?

Uber and Other Tech Companies' Diversity Stats

After the scathing blog post about Uber's lack of diversity and issues with sexual harassment reporting, the company has published its diversity stats.

Business Insider shows a series of bar charts comparing Uber's numbers to those of Facebook, Apple, Google, Twitter, and Microsoft. No companies are doing splendidly in terms of the percentage of women and people of color, but Uber is the least diverse in only one category: leadership. As the company reports, "Our leadership is more homogeneous than the rest of our employees. For example, no Black or Hispanic employees hold leadership positions in tech. This clearly has to change - a diversity of backgrounds and experience is important at every level."

After additional criticism of CEO Travis Kalanick, he promises to take a more transparent approach: "This report is a first step in showing that diversity and inclusion is a priority at Uber. I know that we have been too slow in publishing our numbers - and that the best way to demonstrate our commitment to change is through transparency. And to make progress, it's important we measure what matters." Still, a Wall Street Journal article referred to Kalanick as "beleaguered": "Uber has said it is standing by its beleaguered founder." I wonder for how long that will continue.

Discussion:

• Compare Uber to the other technology companies in Business Insider's charts. What conclusions do you draw?
• Compare Business Insider's bar charts to Uber's circle charts. Which work better and why? Why would each source choose the visual it did?
• How well does Uber explain its diversity position and goals on its website? What are the key messages you glean from this page?

Germany Proposes to Fine Companies for Illegal Content

The German government wants to fine Google, Facebook, and other social media sites if they don't remove "hate speech, fake news and other undesirable content" within 24 hours if it's considered "blatantly illegal" and within seven days if it's otherwise considered to be breaking the law.

A Politico article describes the decision:

"Facebook and Twitter missed the chance to improve their takedown practices," said Heiko Maas, federal minister for justice and consumer protection. Maas claimed social media networks don't take complaints seriously. "For companies to take on their responsibility in question of deleting criminal content, we need legal regulations."

According to one study, Facebook removed 33% of illegal posts within 24 hours so far this year-not enough for some critics-and Twitter did worse, removing only 1% within 24 hours. The social media companies argue that policing negative activity is nearly impossible given the volume of posts on their sites.

In Twitter's defense (it needs one), the company has published extensive policies, including those related to "Hateful Conduct." But bullying, threats of violence, and other misconduct have been an issue for Twitter since the beginning and continue to plague the site's credibility.

In related hate-speech news, AT&T, Johnson & Johnson, and other big companies are pulling ads on YouTube because they don't want them appearing next to inappropriate content. This is another, perhaps more effective, way to get the social media sites to take action.

Image source.

Discussion:

• What's your view of Germany's proposed law: reasonable, necessary, unrealistic, or something else?
• What effect do you think such a law would have on the social media sites? How about its users?

Monsanto Emails Reveal Company's Potential Influence over Cancer Studies

A key ingredient, glyphosate, in weedkiller Roundup may cause cancer, and emails from Monsanto employees put the company's role in cancer research into question. According to a Dow Jones news report, "Emails among company employees, released this week as part of a continuing lawsuit over the herbicide, reflect what the plaintiffs' attorneys say was the company's inappropriate role in shaping research and a cozy relationship with regulators at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Monsanto argued the emails were taken out of context."

An EPA toxicologist, who had cancer, concluded that "it is essentially certain that glyphosate causes cancer." She wrote an impassioned letter to EPA Deputy Division Director Jess Rowland in 2013 highlighting the negative effects of the chemical.

Perhaps the most damning evidence is a Monsanto email summarizing a phone conversation with Rowland, which implies that the EPA is trying "kill" evidence of glyphosate causing cancer:

In addition, Monsanto's own lead toxicologist wrote in a 2009 email and confirmed in a recent deposition, "you cannot say that Roundup does not cause cancer … we have not done carcinogenicity studies with ‘Roundup.'"

Discussion:

• Once again, let's help companies avoid legal trouble with email. What should Monsanto have done differently?
• Of course, email isn't to blame, but the company and EPA may be. What went wrong here?
   

Cancer Research Scientist Faces Credibility Questions

What The New York Times calls "years of ethics charges" have plagued a cancer researcher, but new problems may be his final undoing. Dr. Carlo Croce, at Ohio State University, has brought in $86 million in federal grants, but the Times reports, "he overstated his expansive claims for the therapeutic promise of his work, and that his laboratory is focused more on churning out papers than on carefully assessing its experimental data."

David A. Sanders, a virologist at Purdue University, has called out more than 20 of Croce's papers claiming falsified data: "It's a reckless disregard for the truth."

In a nifty, interactive visual, The New York Times shows how Croce's work was manipulated in one journal article. If you look closely, you see that a bright line is disjointed, warning that some copying and pasting took place. Indeed, samples 6, 7, and 8 are identical to 3, 4, and 5.

Also questionable is Croce's work as an advisor to the Council for Tobacco Research. Although Croce says he believes smoking causes lung cancer, the Council has used his work to prove otherwise.

One of the biggest questions is the role of Ohio State University: did the administration dismiss charges that should have been more seriously considered? The University responded to the article in a short opinion letter, concluding, "While the review is still underway, the independent experts have found that our policies meet with national research compliance standards. They have also found no evidence that Ohio State deviated from those policies in reviewing allegations of research misconduct."

Discussion:

• Read the NYT article. What do you believe are the most egregious claims against Croce?
• Look online for other examples of image manipulation in scientific journals. Should  peer-review journals be more vigilant in catching these falsifications? Or are they too difficult to judge?
• Analyze the University's opinion letter. Which parts do you find most and least convincing?