Just HOW Incompetent and UNETHICAL Is MCI (Ben Volin)?

goheels22002 · Jun 15, 2015

What's easier? Recalling a) a dumbass Tweet, b) recalling 6.5 millions boxes of bad Macaroni & Cheese, or c) recalling Ben Volin?

http://www.npr.org/2015/03/18/393734052/kraft-recalls-6-5-million-boxes-of-macaroni-and-cheese

primetime · Jun 15, 2015

Rob0729 said:
Not true. AEI is a think tank. They get grant money and they just can explore whatever the heck they want.

Here is a link to the interview with Steve Veuger (one of the authors of the AEI report) by Adam Jones. At the 5:15 mark, Veuger says that they basically did based on lunch conversations and debates between his colleagues at AEI.

I've spent most of my adult life working at think tanks. Grants come with very specific reporting requirements. Think tanks aren't Google. There's no 20% projects. You have to bill your time to a project. If there was no financial incentive for AEI here, AEI resources weren't being used; the authors may have been able to put it up on a personal blog or something, but not with the AEI brand and not on AEI time.

RayClay said:
Actually, scholars at AEI do studies like this all the time. that's what they do.

I agree. AEI is well-known as a think tank whose staff time can be bought by coming to them with an individual donation and asking for a study. That's why, I suspect, AEI was the one who ultimately was approached to do this.

I don't think it's particularly problematic, for what it's worth. As others have noted, the Wells report was paid for. In the end, all research is.

JarOfMayo51 · Jun 15, 2015

eom said:
hang on, I'm researching it on google

Make sure to tweet first, then do fact checking later on Google

rochrist · Jun 15, 2015

Observer said:
Sorry no. For a layman like me it might be incompetence. For a professional it is negligence.

The bottom line is that the guy is just plain stupid. You only have to listen to him talk for one minute to recognize this. It's sad, but it's pretty much what print media in this town has come to. Howe is only good by comparison and even then, not very. I watched a painful bit with Howe kissing up to Felger last night 'you're absolutely right Mike'-ing him to death about how the AEI report is completely meaningless cause it's all about the texts, yo.

rochrist · Jun 15, 2015

Deflatemyballs said:
I'm fairly confident every member on this forum would make a better beat writer than Ben Volin. I disagree with a lot of people on here but at least I have the sense that he or she would have the work ethic to do more than a 2 second Google search before looking like a complete buffoon on the Internet. The fact that the globe employes this pathetic excuse use for a beat writer should tell you all you need to know about that has been, worthless trash publication

Why single them out? The Herald employes Thomase and Borges.

rochrist · Jun 15, 2015

robertweathers said:
The Globe used to have the best sports section in the country. Colin is such a hack.

Willie McDonough is not walking thru that door.

You have rose colored glasses. McDonough was one of the all-time world champion agenda grinders, along with Kevin Mannix.

PatsWickedPissah · Jun 15, 2015

rochrist said:
The bottom line is that the guy is just plain stupid. You only have to listen to him talk for one minute to recognize this. It's sad, but it's pretty much what print media in this town has come to. Howe is only good by comparison and even then, not very. I watched a painful bit with Howe kissing up to Felger last night 'you're absolutely right Mike'-ing him to death about how the AEI report is completely meaningless cause it's all about the texts, yo.

You guys watching & linking Felger contribute to his wealth and motivate this style of sports coverage

rochrist · Jun 15, 2015

PatsWickedPissah said:
You guys watching & linking Felger contribute to his wealth and motivate this style of sports coverage

I watch very little of Felger actually. Well...that's not fair, I watch a reasonable amount of the tv stuff although I turn it off frequently. I -listen- to hardly any of it on the radio.

BradyFTW! · Jun 15, 2015

To Volin's credit--if you can even call it that--I've seen no evidence that he's malicious. I think he just utterly sucks at his job, and knows that the only real value he can create is in scooping stories. In a rush to do that, he made a bunch of shortcuts and assumptions that a professional journalist really just can't take. It's a pattern with him.

So yeah, he screwed up, and yeah every day he remains employed by the Globe just demonstrates how little credibility that entire newspaper has. But whatever his failings are, they're pretty much just a microcosm of the industry as a whole. The internet killed newspaper subscriptions and classified ads, so now there's no real money in them. As a result, they pay for third-rate talent and get predictably third-rate results. That's why being the Globe's beat reporter doesn't really mean anything anymore. It's a stepping stone at best, so whoever's sitting in the office isn't the best out there. It's just some guy. Plus, in the twitter era, reporters are racing to scoop each other and knowing it could come down to minutes. So they rush their scoops, don't go through their editors, and simply don't fact-check. That's how you get stuff like this last fiasco.

Volin isn't a troll, and I don't think he's trying to be a contrarian media personality. At least not yet, he might settle into that role if he realizes that it's the only place left for him on the Boston scene (personally, I think he'd be better served heading back to some backwater, podunk city where he won't be quite so over his head). I think he just happens to have his job at an especially difficult time to have that job, and to take matters worse he's also incompetent.

Joker · Jun 15, 2015

primetime said:
I agree. AEI is well-known as a think tank whose staff time can be bought by coming to them with an individual donation and asking for a study. That's why, I suspect, AEI was the one who ultimately was approached to do this.

I don't think it's particularly problematic, for what it's worth. As others have noted, the Wells report was paid for. In the end, all research is.

You keep parroting this and yet AEI was on air with Adam Jones and specifically denied what you are constantly affirming is true. No one "approached" them to do this, they did it on their own...THEIR exact words.

A simple Google of "who paid AEI for Patriots report" will provide you with pages of links, every single one affirming AEI did this independently yet you still persist in creating this unproved and unseen "they were approached" meme. Why?

Galeb · Jun 15, 2015

TinhWoodhead said:
I want to hit Volin with a violin

I'd rather hit him with a Benz.

RobertWeathers · Jun 15, 2015

rochrist said:
You have rose colored glasses. McDonough was one of the all-time world champion agenda grinders, along with Kevin Mannix.

No question on McDonough. He was agenda-driven and had a very high-opinion of himself and his relevance to the sporting world.

With that said, Volin can only hope to realize as a sports journalist what Willie ever had forgotten.

Rob0729 · Jun 15, 2015

primetime said:
I've spent most of my adult life working at think tanks. Grants come with very specific reporting requirements. Think tanks aren't Google. There's no 20% projects. You have to bill your time to a project. If there was no financial incentive for AEI here, AEI resources weren't being used; the authors may have been able to put it up on a personal blog or something, but not with the AEI brand and not on AEI time.

I agree. AEI is well-known as a think tank whose staff time can be bought by coming to them with an individual donation and asking for a study. That's why, I suspect, AEI was the one who ultimately was approached to do this.

I don't think it's particularly problematic, for what it's worth. As others have noted, the Wells report was paid for. In the end, all research is.

I have a cousin who worked for a Howard Hughes estate funded think tank for decades and they were allowed to do side projects all the time that were not specifically funded. Granted he led the team that were the first to clone anything (the eye of a fruit fly) and a MacArthur fellow (only like 25 people in the world get it a year) and his involvement in the think tank alone brought in millions and millions of dollars (yeah, he got all the brains in the family and left the rest of us with nothing). But he could pretty much do whatever he wanted at times.

Not all think tanks are the same. All do work on specific grants that fund them for particular types of research and others are just what interest them. I can see this one being an unfunded project because it wouldn't take a lot of time to do and it was great free advertising for the Institute.

Joker · Jun 15, 2015

It looks like an obvious publicity grab. Considering the idiocy of the Wells "report" it makes perfect sense for AEI to swing at the low hanging fruit.Any press is good press.

Kontradiction · Jun 15, 2015

JMC00 said:
Shocker that a poster with the name @ctpatsfan77 would take offense to someone saying Connecticut will name a street after hack volin.

Maybe you should have come up with a line that made it more clear you were talking about ESPN.

I assumed that his reading comprehension was up to snuff and he could actually, you know, read the post that I was quoting in which the previous poster was clearly referring to Mortensen. I assumed the same for you too. I guess my expectations were too high.

SVN · Jun 15, 2015

BradyFTW! said:
To Volin's credit--if you can even call it that--I've seen no evidence that he's malicious. I think he just utterly sucks at his job, and knows that the only real value he can create is in scooping stories. In a rush to do that, he made a bunch of shortcuts and assumptions that a professional journalist really just can't take. It's a pattern with him.

So yeah, he screwed up, and yeah every day he remains employed by the Globe just demonstrates how little credibility that entire newspaper has. But whatever his failings are, they're pretty much just a microcosm of the industry as a whole. The internet killed newspaper subscriptions and classified ads, so now there's no real money in them. As a result, they pay for third-rate talent and get predictably third-rate results. That's why being the Globe's beat reporter doesn't really mean anything anymore. It's a stepping stone at best, so whoever's sitting in the office isn't the best out there. It's just some guy. Plus, in the twitter era, reporters are racing to scoop each other and knowing it could come down to minutes. So they rush their scoops, don't go through their editors, and simply don't fact-check. That's how you get stuff like this last fiasco.

Volin isn't a troll, and I don't think he's trying to be a contrarian media personality. At least not yet, he might settle into that role if he realizes that it's the only place left for him on the Boston scene (personally, I think he'd be better served heading back to some backwater, podunk city where he won't be quite so over his head). I think he just happens to have his job at an especially difficult time to have that job, and to take matters worse he's also incompetent.

The sad and bad part is people like volin are judging content about a report by who is writing it . He couldve simply read the AEI report and given his views on it +ve or -ve regardless if it was funded by the krafts. But for him if the report is funded by krafts means he wont read it and it must be biased but he will believe what ted wells wrote.

BradyFTW! · Jun 15, 2015

SVN said:
The sad and bad part is people like volin are judging content about a report by who is writing it . He couldve simply read the AEI report and given his views on it +ve or -ve regardless if it was funded by the krafts. But for him if the report is funded by krafts means he wont read it and it must be biased but he will believe what ted wells wrote.

Yeah, that's a good point, although OTOH I genuinely could not care less what Ben Volin's opinion on the AEI report is. I doubt he even read it, and if he did he's too stupid to form any kind of meaningful conclusion.

PatriotsReign · Jun 15, 2015

shmessy said:
Dave ‏@ChefdDds89 2h2 hours ago

@BenVolin you are the biggest joke of a reporter I've seen in a long time. Entering Borges and Tomase territory

Tony Giglio ‏@tonygig 3h3 hours ago

@BenVolin but folks who wrote article said they received no $ from NFL or NE & were independent. You saying they lied? Prove it

b. hanley ‏@jeanbrianhanle 3h3 hours ago

@BenVolin What is the "Kraft Foundation"? Kraft owns the "Kraft Group". Is Ben Trollin back?

Lucky Luke ‏@MassenaFlyBoy 3h3 hours ago

@BenVolin ya and so fing what. NFL paid for the Wells investigation. Did Kraft foundation pay for this? Go back to sleep.

Larry ‏@sabnabdab 3h3 hours ago

@BenVolin so the NFL paid for the Well's report!!!!

matthewjweiner ‏@matthewjweiner 3h3 hours ago

@BenVolin "Updated August 2006"

WWII Felger ‏@WWIIFelger 3h3 hours ago

@BenVolin LOL @jeffphowe @AlbertBreer

Carlos ‏@ccamara87 5m5 minutes ago

@BenVolin Right Wing Watch..... right.

North East ‏@NEastRemembers 51m51 minutes ago

@BenVolin Wrong Kraft group, Ben. You were starting to redeem yourself after that issue with @jeffphowe . Bad reporting no two ways about it

Patrick Kelleher ‏@u233tech 2h2 hours ago

@BenVolin @RobertKlemko cmon Ben that list is from 2006 and the heading where the Krafts are listed says "have included" very sloppy work

boxergirl ‏@kathic1016 2h2 hours ago

@BenVolin it's Kraft Foods and why did I click on this piece of trash

Brett Jumper ‏@JumperBrett 2h2 hours ago

@BenVolin AEI data analysis is more inclusive in consideration of all variables, clearly acknowledging realities WELLS didn't consider.

Steve LeBlanc ‏@steveleblanc76 2h2 hours ago

@BenVolin how ironic that you would leap to a conclusion based on what you expected/wanted to be true. Where have we seen that before?

w!LL ‏@itsBIB 3h3 hours ago

@BenVolin wtf Ben? You can find connections between anyone, anywhere. You sound like Alex Jones. Do u want Tom to play or not?

Raghu Rao ‏@RR46568797 3h3 hours ago

@BenVolin quick on the draw with this nonsense but you are too lazy to be a real journalist and address NFL FO leaking false PSI info?

WittyNameHereLOLZ ‏@Blackglass3 3h3 hours ago

@BenVolin #Deflategate THAT is what you take from it? Good God man. Try being unbiased for once

Rick McNulty ‏@rickmcnulty 3h3 hours ago

@BenVolin looks like Kraft Foods, not Kraft Foundation. https://books.google.com/books?id=b1UGM0CHOGAC&pg=PA54&lpg=PA54&dq=kraft+american+enterprise+institute&source=bl&ots=Evy0gjcVaA&sig=AgaxEqTo5VEI8qORfxc1tLWvhKM&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CEAQ6AEwBzgUahUKEwjAnKjd5I_GAhUJjpIKHVv4AzU#v=onepage&q&f=false…

One of our members alluded to the fact he may be a member here....can we find out and then kick him off publically? That would be satisfying.

condon84 · Jun 15, 2015

SVN said:
Ben Volin ‏@BenVolin 3h3 hours ago
#Patriots confirm Robert Kraft is not related to Kraft Foundation. I regret the error and apologize to the team

primetime · Jun 15, 2015

Joker said:
You keep parroting this and yet AEI was on air with Adam Jones and specifically denied what you are constantly affirming is true. No one "approached" them to do this, they did it on their own...THEIR exact words.

A simple Google of "who paid AEI for Patriots report" will provide you with pages of links, every single one affirming AEI did this independently yet you still persist in creating this unproved and unseen "they were approached" meme. Why?

The Wells report was also done "independently" but was most certainly paid for. Similarly, AEI had to get paid for it somehow - those infographics and reports don't edit and compile themselves. Staff time is valuable. They're also not required to disclose individual donations, so why would they? The only thing they were ethically required to report is that they have no financial stake in the outcome of the investigation, which is 100% true regardless.

Just HOW Incompetent and UNETHICAL Is MCI (Ben Volin)?

PatsFans.com Supporter

Pro Bowl Player

PatsFans.com Supporter

Veteran Starter w/Big Long Term Deal

Veteran Starter w/Big Long Term Deal

Veteran Starter w/Big Long Term Deal

PatsFans.com Supporter

Veteran Starter w/Big Long Term Deal

Goodell sucks

PatsFans.com Supporter

Experienced Starter w/First Big Contract

Member of the Seattle 7 & Roadie for Metallica

PatsFans.com Supporter

PatsFans.com Supporter

On my retirement tour.

PatsFans.com Retired Jersey Club

Goodell sucks

PatsFans.com Supporter

Experienced Starter w/First Big Contract

Pro Bowl Player

Similar threads