We suggested yesterday that there are those in the Knoxville media that really should find something else to do. When not playing class warfare with a story that was anything but, they question research findings based on the opinion of one man.
This Monday, after the Knoxville News-Sentinel and other media outlets had stirred up a hornets nest of discontent over former Knoxville Sports & Tourism Commission CEO Gloria Ray's compensation package, Columnist Tom Humphrey suggested that we should all be skeptical of a recent Longwoods International study of the impact of Tennessee Tourism marketing.
Nevermind that Longwoods is one of the most respected firms of its kind in North America...some guy said that he read the study and calls the claims in the report "absurd." And, sadly, that's what makes for news today. Some guy who apparently made some money with an internet play in the '90s and now is in real estate. Yeah...just some guy.
Not someone who has studied community economic development. Not someone who has experience in travel marketing and hospitality sales. No...just a guy that is part of the Tea Party movement.
Hey Tom? If I were to say that Copernicus' work was absurd and that the Sun revolves around the Earth, would you feature me in an upcoming article?
I didn't think so. But, would you if I was in the Tea Party?
'Cause that's the only reason you think this guy has credibility. And, that's not good enough.
Even worse, the column says that the Tea Party representative read a "summary" of the study. That in itself is, shall we say, cause for skepticism of his skepticism.
And in response to the rhetorical question posed in Tom Humphrey's column...yes, if the great state of Tennessee spent $100 million on tourism marketing, it WOULD be awash in visitor tax dollars.
Posted by: Chris Cavanaugh | February 08, 2012 at 06:45