Bias in reporting among media and think tanks is not necessarily a reason to dismiss reports. Jean Chung/Bloomberg
Bias in reporting among media and think tanks is not necessarily a reason to dismiss reports. Jean Chung/Bloomberg
Bias in reporting among media and think tanks is not necessarily a reason to dismiss reports. Jean Chung/Bloomberg
Bias in reporting among media and think tanks is not necessarily a reason to dismiss reports. Jean Chung/Bloomberg

Economics 101: research studies are not easily swayed by conflict of interests


Omar Al Ubaydli
  • English
  • Arabic

You’ve probably heard friends and colleagues saying something like: “I don’t believe anything that organisation says; they’re just a mouthpiece for those guys who fund them.”

Controversial topics such as US presidential politics, UK Brexit, and Middle East conflicts have left many people searching for “objective” sources of information, and denouncing a multitude of media and think tank outlets as being intellectual mercenaries. Are there any useful maxims for dealing with biased reporting?

A principle that seems to be forgotten these days is that the presence of a conflict of interest does not mean that the reporting is so biased that it is useless. In fact, people who dismiss a report without even taking the time to read it are often guilty of laziness at best, and vindictiveness at worst. The example of scientific research helps to illustrate this.

The majority of the world’s academic researchers work in universities with public funding. However, many rely on funding from private sources that can create conflicts of interest – for example the renewable energy companies funding research on solar power, or tobacco companies financing studies on electronic cigarettes. And a large proportion of global academic research is conducted by the in-house researchers of pharmaceutical companies or chemicals manufacturers. Does their research immediately get consigned to the dustbin?

No – what happens is that they clearly and systematically declare their conflicts of interest at the start of their published papers. Readers are then free to adjust their inferences based on the information, keeping in mind several factors.

First, to what extent is the information being presented open to distortion? A scientist analysing a data set that only they have access to is very different to a mathematical proof: in the former case, the scientist can fabricate a report, and nobody would know for sure; while in the latter case, their hands are tied, since the veracity of their argument can be checked just by reading the paper.

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In terms of mainstream news, readers must distinguish between The Wall Street Journal, for instance, claiming that "select insiders" are confident that stock prices will rise, and the Journal claiming that today's price is a record high.

Second, in the event the information can be verified subsequently, to what extent do its sources have concerns about their reputations? In the scientific community, there is basically a one-strike-and-you-are-out policy: anyone caught behaving fraudulently is defenestrated from the profession, losing their livelihood. For a tenured full professor, that's a huge punishment to dissuade most from blatant fraud, but for a your doctoral student looking for a job, it might be a risk worth taking, since the alternative is unemployment.

This system works reasonably well in science. Where conflicts of interest are potentially more problematic, according to the factors above, scholars will be more sceptical, and they will dedicate more resources to third-party verification via replication studies. But they won’t terminally and pre-emptively dismiss the research as being biased just based on the presence of a potential conflict of interest.

Yet in the media and think tank world, we often see extremely cavalier dismissals of a report or study because a potential beneficiary of the conclusions is funding it. In some cases, this represents a strategic attempt to discredit an unfavourable conclusion, even if the conclusion might be sound.

In fact, a huge red flag is when a critic focuses their diatribe on the funding, rather than highlighting the components of the analysis that they disagree with, and pointing out how conflicts of interest may have played a role in those specific cases.

The scientific community also tells us about the reverse situation. Just as financial conflicts of interest do not imply useless information, the absence of financial conflicts does not guarantee useful information. Many think tanks and media outlets like to advertise their diverse funding as implying their relative impartiality but, in fact, factors such as ideology, ethnic/religious affiliation, nationalism, or even deep-seated friendships can create much bigger bias than any financial stake.

I am purposely shying away from specific examples because I myself don’t want to be pigeon-holed as being an apologist for one side or another. I have seen plenty of dismissals of people’s valuable analyses based on lazy and/or strategic references to funding sources, with all sides guilty of this tactic. Similarly, I have seen a naive willingness to accept the conclusions of those who superficially appear to not suffer from a financial conflict of interest, without applying an objective level of scrutiny and scepticism.

The main point I wish to convey is that there is no substitute for reading a report or news item, and responding to the content therein. Potentially biased does not imply actually biased, actually biased does not imply useless, and financially unbiased does not imply actually unbiased.

We should be aggressive toward those who are exposed to conflicts of interest; but we should be equally aggressive toward those who denigrate the work of others based on conflicts of interest without actually addressing the content.

Omar Al-Ubaydli @omareconomics is a researcher at Derasat, Bahrain

The Bio

Favourite place in UAE: Al Rams pearling village

What one book should everyone read: Any book written before electricity was invented. When a writer willingly worked under candlelight, you know he/she had a real passion for their craft

Your favourite type of pearl: All of them. No pearl looks the same and each carries its own unique characteristics, like humans

Best time to swim in the sea: When there is enough light to see beneath the surface

The biog

Favourite colour: Brown

Favourite Movie: Resident Evil

Hobbies: Painting, Cooking, Imitating Voices

Favourite food: Pizza

Trivia: Was the voice of three characters in the Emirati animation, Shaabiyat Al Cartoon

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UAE v Gibraltar

What: International friendly

When: 7pm kick off

Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City

Admission: Free

Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page

UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)

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Specs

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Price: From Dh439,000

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Sinopharm vaccine explained

The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades. 

“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.

"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."

This is then injected into the body.

"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.

"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."

The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.

Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.

“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.

The specs

Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8

Transmission: Eight-speed auto

Power: 575bhp

Torque: 700Nm

Price: Dh554,000

On sale: now

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Simran

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Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Soham Shah, Esha Tiwari Pandey

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Stuck in a job without a pay rise? Here's what to do

Chris Greaves, the managing director of Hays Gulf Region, says those without a pay rise for an extended period must start asking questions – both of themselves and their employer.

“First, are they happy with that or do they want more?” he says. “Job-seeking is a time-consuming, frustrating and long-winded affair so are they prepared to put themselves through that rigmarole? Before they consider that, they must ask their employer what is happening.”

Most employees bring up pay rise queries at their annual performance appraisal and find out what the company has in store for them from a career perspective.

Those with no formal appraisal system, Mr Greaves says, should ask HR or their line manager for an assessment.

“You want to find out how they value your contribution and where your job could go,” he says. “You’ve got to be brave enough to ask some questions and if you don’t like the answers then you have to develop a strategy or change jobs if you are prepared to go through the job-seeking process.”

For those that do reach the salary negotiation with their current employer, Mr Greaves says there is no point in asking for less than 5 per cent.

“However, this can only really have any chance of success if you can identify where you add value to the business (preferably you can put a monetary value on it), or you can point to a sustained contribution above the call of duty or to other achievements you think your employer will value.”

 

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

The years Ramadan fell in May

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1921

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Ain Issa camp:
  • Established in 2016
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  • Of the adult population, 49 per cent men, 51 per cent women (not including foreigners annexe)
  • Most from Deir Ezzor and Raqqa
  • 950 foreigners linked to ISIS and their families
  • NGO Blumont runs camp management for the UN
  • One of the nine official (UN recognised) camps in the region
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs

Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)

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Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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