From: salmo@elsie.cogsci.uwo.ca (Brian Fisher)
Subject: Re: ADMIN: Pressure, pressure, pressure.  Ouch!
Date: Wed, 16 Jun 1993 15:32:22 GMT
Organization: Centre for Cognitive Science



In article <1vmdnpINN5qc@news.u.washington.edu>,
cyberoid@u.washington.edu (Robert Jacobson) writes:

|> Apparently, some USENET readers were distraught at the mere suggestion
|> of a voluntary contribution to help defray the costs of running s.v-w
|> and determined not to see the co-moderators have the resources they
|> needed to improve the newsgroup.  These Defenders of the Right went to
|> the Powers that Be at the University of Washington, where s.v-w is
|> hosted.  In turn, the panicked University, worried about appearances
|> but never facts, in a typically Machiavellian move leaned on HIT Lab
|> director Tom Furness.
|>  
|> Furness, not a reader of the newsgroup and hence not aware of the
|> discussion that preceded the University's cardiac arrest, has now
|> decided to create _a committee_ to run s.v-w.  
|> 
|> <stuff deleted>

What an extraordinarily BAD idea! As those of us in academia know,
dofferent programs at different universities will take a different
perspective on the issues in the field. When the chief editor of a
journal comes from a given perspective, the journal tends to follow
suit- inevitably, the opinions of the editor will play a role in what
gets published. That is, at least in part, why senior editorships are
so prized- they enable the editor to shift the tone of the journal
(and even the field!) just a bit. Here we have a more open medium, but
the moderator still plays a major role in both what is accepted and
more commonly, how it is "spun"- their role allows them to add
comments onto postings, and their postings carry more weight due to
their status. 

Giving control of svw to ANY single lab, even one as (so far)
benevolent as HITL is not a good idea at all. Even if they do manage
the Solomonic(?!) task of avoiding bias, the suspicion of bias will be
present. This is a much greater peril here than in more established
academic fields, since svw is so dominant! There are few alternative
venues for information.

On the other hand, Bob's real and perceived independence was
unquestioned- his postings/comments have been nothing if not eclectic.
He had no axe to grind, and this was apparent. Once again, we see a
violation of one of humankind's greatest axioms: "if it's not broke,
don't fix it".

If this transition is unavoidable (and I hope that it is not!), the
new committee should take EXTRAORDINARY care to insure a very well
balanced set of moderators. This will not be easy. I feel sorry for
HITL in this- they did not seek to comandeer svw, it was dumped on
them by their university.  Now they have to deal with it.

|> If you have any questions or concerns regarding this new policy,
|> please convey them to Sandra Moy, University of Washington computer
|> administrator (moy@u.washington.edu) and to the HIT Lab via Kymerie
|> Rigg (kymerie@hitl.washington.edu) <more stuff deleted>

Will do...

Brian Fisher, Ph.D.
Research Scientist
Center for Cognitive Science/Inst. for Robotics and Intelligent Systems
U.W.O, London, Ontario, Canada