Inventing Facts to Fit Your Purposes - White Paper Scruples
November 14th, 2006, by Michael StelznerWhat do you do when you lack hard evidence or facts to strengthen your writing?
A very recent Dilbert cartoon strip went something like this:
Dilbert: “I need some data from someone I cannot reach”
Dog: “Just make it up, like everyone else.”
Dilbert: “Is that OK?”
Dog: “Are you doubting my data?”
Of course I am paraphrasing (you can click above to see the actual strip).
So, here is the question: Do you make up facts to make your white papers “Sound good”? What do you do when you cannot find what you need?
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November 15th, 2006 at 6:16 am
Unfortunately, Dilbert is often a reflection of real life. Satire wouldn’t work if there wasn’t some basis of truth behind it.
That said, unethical behavior has a way of catching up to us. Not always right now, but eventually. Someday, someone will check our facts and then our credibility is gone forever.
There’s a story of a man who immigrated to the U.S., but before he left home he converted all his wealth into a single diamond. On the ship, he started tossing the diamond up and down, catching it each time.
Getting bolder and supremely confident, he progressed to leaning over the rail of the ship to toss his diamond up and down, never once missing the catch.
Everyone but him knew what would eventually happen, they all warned him, but he kept on taking this incredible risk with everything he owned.
You already know the end of the story, that eventually he missed one time and lost it all. But the lesson is that when we flirt with disaster, it always flirts back.
CB
November 15th, 2006 at 2:55 pm
Charles - Amen brother! I could not agree more! - Mike