On 29 September 2008, Ralph Hilliard, the proprietor of PolygraphPlace.com, opened a message thread titled "We need a 'comments' voice. Any Volunteers?" It's in folder 13 of
the archive (94 mb ZIP file). His idea was to orchestrate a commenting campaign on on-line newspaper articles about polygraphy:
Quote:Hey Everybody,
Since I have been regularly scanning all the polygraph articles that land each day, there is a common theme of misinformation either in the article itself or in the comments that follow.
In one form or another, quotes and stories have become the reality to most in the public rather than facts.
For example, every single moment maschke gets a chance, his mantra is 'Consensus amongst scientists is that there is no basis in science for the CQ polygraph.'
Most regular folks repeat the usual...
How good could they be since they aren't allowed in court?
or as Repairman Jack responded to a recent online article....
Polgraphs - isn't the jury still out on their reliability?
That article is here if you want to read it:
http://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/news/3702525.Would_I_lie_to_you_/#commentsfo... So what is my point? It is important to do the small things to advance a professional message with facts.
And at least one way would be to post positive and corrective information in the 'comments' areas at the end of all these articles.
It doesn't need to be an army. One person could help the collective profession by making it their mission to daily read the polygraph related articles and 1. Correct misinformation in the articles and 2. Post intelligent, fact based replies to naive commenters.
I have the motivation and energy to do this, but not the time. Its little things like this that could make a difference in public opinion in the long run, especially because authors tend to quote other authors and that is how the misinformation continues to spread.
I was going to put this in the newsletter, but why tip our hand to GM, who would probably be there like stink on shit to dig up a fight if he knew there was an actual plan. A Covert fighter would be a much better option...at least until he catches on and then we will at least be giving another opinion to the masses than just his.
Any Takers? Hmmm, not to put you on the spot Jim, but isn't this what you hoped to do at AP? I'd rather fight on neutral territory than on GM's ground.
------------------
Ralph Hilliard
PolygraphPlace Owner & Operator
Be sure to visit our new store for all things Polygraph Related
http://store.polygraphplace.com The campaign evidently never got off the ground, but I did find this post by Don Krapohl of DoDPI/DACA/NCCA interesting:
Quote:Folks:
Let me first say that the following is just my personal opinion, and should not be misconstrued as being an APA position nor necessarily especially wise counsel. It is simply how I've come to see our exchanges with George.
I have long held the view that we should not post on the AP site. I came to this conclusions from what I know about the facts on the ground. First, the site is a refuge for zealots, and as zealots they are immune to information that challenge their beliefs. They are impervious to facts, logic, data, or evidence. So we must first acknowledge that our contribution in that regard will not be useful. We have yet to convince any of them of the sins of their ways. Second, it seems apparent that the site owner thrives on the attention he receives when we post there. Far from being taken aback by our brilliantly crafted counterpoints, he derives gratification when people, anyone, acknowledge him. The more you post, the happier he gets. Third, when we hold a moritorium on posting, as you all did recently, the zealots end up feeding on each other. If they don't receive gratification from others, they do it to themselves (insert favorite joke here). This causes their postings be become more frenzied, more extreme, and ultimately to reveal to all the world how out of the mainstream their thinking is. And finally, the AP posters seem to have all the time in the world. Who here can post a response 24 hours a day? It is clear that we can't exhaust them because we have other work, truly important work, to get done.
It seems a more adaptive response to set up a separate site with pro and balanced information on polygraphy. It need not be like the AP site, where everyone with a keyboard can send whatever he wants. Rather, it could simply be an informational site that remains static except for updates by the administrator. I would argue that this should not be undertaken by the APA, since there is an assumption of bias. Also, many of the folks here are not APA members, and they should be able to assist in this effort.
Here are some of the potential benefits of this new site. One: it gets our message out. Two: it doesn't tie us down answering postings from radicals. Three: it might tie up the radicals on their site trying to respond to all of the good information on our site.
Regardless of whether this new site idea gets off the ground, let me repeat that our time spent posting on the AP site has come to naught and that we are better served by focusing on solutions instead of detractors. Let me just end with an open question: where are our energies best spent?
Don
(Very) long-time readers of AntiPolygraph.org may recall that after AntiPolygraph.org first went on-line on 18 September 2000,
Krapohl registered the domain name antipolygraph.com, though he never set up a website at that address. The pro-polygraph website separate from the American Polygraph Association that he suggests in the above post also seems not to have been created.
Don, you opine that I and others are "impervious to facts, logic, data, or evidence." Why don't you try me? For starters, could you point out any factual errors that you believe exist in
The Lie Behind the Lie Detector? I am, in fact, keenly interested in correcting anything that we may have gotten wrong.