Journalists annoy me.

Journalists annoy me, when in the name of balance they give time to idiots.

http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,10622552%5E13780,00.html


Here is the main points summarised.

The research, which monitored 10,000 people across Britain over a decade,
shed new light on previous research which suggested only single men faced any
health risk. Six hundred people died during the course of the study, and
researchers looked at the different mortality rates of men and women who were
married, single, divorced and widowed. They found men who were single, divorced or separated at the start of the research were 10 per cent more likely to die in the following eight years.

Warwick University Professor Andrew Oswald, who led the study, said the
poor diets of many people living alone could play a part. The research, to be
published in The Journal of Health Economics, focused on 10,000 adults in their
40s. They were monitored for a decade and interviewed each year.

Oh but wait

Match.com managing director of Australia and New Zealand Jane Thompson
strongly disagreed with the findings.

So a dopey woman with no tangible evidence is allowed to seriously comment on Academic research? This journalist needs to hang their head in shame.

As Harlan Ellison said

Everybody has opinions: I have them, you have them. And we are all told from
the moment we open our eyes, that everyone is entitled to his or her opinion.
Well, that's horsepuckey, of course. We are not entitled to our opinions; we are entitled to our informed opinions. Without research, without background, without understanding, it's nothing. It's just bibble-babble..."

I agree with this sentiment entirely!