[29] The organisation is made up of journalists, filmmakers, advertising creatives, data scientists, artists, students and lawyers, and intends to crowdfund individual projects and campaigns. In her judgement this week, Mrs Justice Steyn said Cadwalladrhad to prove that she was talking about a matter of public interest, which she clearly was, and that she had reasonably believed that publishing the words sued over by Banks was in the public interest. We are meant to have the rule of law in England and Wales. [24], On 26 November 2020, the day before a strike-out hearing, the Press Gazette reported that she "has been ordered to pay 62,000 in costs to Banks after withdrawing her defences of truth and limitation just one day before the next hearing in the case was scheduled to take place on Thursday morning", in the light of the judge's determination of the meaning of certain words. The Family Tree was translated into several languages including Spanish, Italian, German, Czech, and Portuguese. [14][16], Arron Banks initiated a libel action against Cadwalladr on 12 July 2019 for claiming that he had lied about 'his relationship with the Russian government', notably in her TED talk. This judgment is a triumphant vindication of a formidable journalist who endured unconscionable personal stress and misogynistic abuse to get her stories out. It was not just Ms Cadwalladr's reputation at "stake", but also the "ability of the press to report freely on such issues". In June, in a significant decision for public interest journalism, Mrs Justice Steyn found that although Cadwalladrs words were, as interpreted by the judge, untrue, she had a public interest defence under section 4 of the Defamation Act 2013, which protects journalists against inaccuracies they reasonably believe to be true when investigating matters of great import. Cadwalladr's first novel, The Family Tree, was shortlisted for the 2006 Commonwealth Writers' Prize, the Author's Club First Novel Award, the Waverton Good Read Award, and the Wales Book of the Year. Do you think they would have gone for the journalist who broke the story as Bankss claque in the right-wing press did? Though the newspapers lawyers advised her not to, in advance of her article being published, she shared some of her reporting with an official British investigation into Cambridge Analytica after authorities approached her, and she put former employees in contact with them. Then just 1 a week for full website and app access. If any information comes up it will be updated. Douglas Murray is associate editor of The Spectator and author of The War on the West: How to Prevail in the Age of Unreason, among other books. Feel free to CONTACT US if you have any questions. Carole Jane Cadwalladr ( / kdwldr /; born 1969) is a British author, investigative journalist and features writer. @carolecadwalla. The UK is ranked 24th out of 180 countries in RSFs 2022 World Press Freedom Index. Get a, Furniture protectors if there is a spot where your feline friend like to destroy, you can deter the behavior by using, Jackson Galaxy, a great resource on cat behavior, has a good video about how to. '[19], In January 2020 Banks dropped two elements of his action. According to Cadwalladr, The New York Times and Britains Channel 4 News, which were partnering in the investigation, were informed of the arrangement, and Wylies lawyers did due diligence to make sure the backer wasnt a Russian oligarch or something and to avoid any other conflict of interests. (A Times spokesperson initially said that the paper was not aware of the financial-backer arrangement and that had Cadwalladr helped to arrange financial backing it would violate our journalism guidelines, which cover outside contributors. After the publication of this story the Times reviewed communications with Cadwalladr and found that, in late 2017, she had mentioned to the Times that another media outlet was considering an indemnity for Wylie. Mr Banks congratulated the investigative journalist on winning, but said he would "likely" appeal against the court judgement. One of the questions raised in this case is why, amidst all the thousands of articles and broadcasts about Brexit, Arron Banks and Russia, did a few sentences in a TED talk and a tweet lead to a libel trial? Where will all this end? She has also reported on alleged links between Nigel Farage, the 2016 presidential campaign of Donald Trump, and the Russian influence on the 2016 presidential election that has been investigated in the United States. As of yet, nothing has been posted on the site. Carole Cadwalladr, the journalist who exposed how Cambridge Analytica harvested data from 87 million Facebook users and subsequently influenced both the Brexit vote and the election of Donald . Rebecca Vincent, from the press freedom campaign group, Reporters without Borders, described it as a victory for journalism. Five years on, its a line the people of Ukraine are dying in their tens of thousands to refute.). It tends to be opened at eight oclock the evening before World Book Day, to, Hancock wanted to deploy new Covid variant and frighten the pants off everyone, Prince Harry and Gabor Mat are a match made in heaven, Is Putin winning? The hearing referred to was an . Learn more about alternatives to declawing from the Jackson Galaxy video below. Is Cadwalladr even a reporter, or more of a campaigneran activist with policy goals she is pursuing through journalism? Steyn also found that serious harm had not been established in relation to the tweet at any point. Dear parents, a reminder that we are dressing up for World Book Day! In conversation with TED Global Curator Bruno Giussani, Cadwalladr discusses the latest on her reporting on the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal -- and what we still don't know about the transatlantic links between Brexit and the 2016 US presidential election. Ms Cadwalladrs reporting into this matter of vital public interest has been vindicated., Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. The UK Court of Appeal's ruling partially in favour of businessman Arron Banks in his defamation case against journalist Carole Cadwalladr is disappointing and risks having a chilling effect on investigative journalism. Facebook's role in Brexit and the threat to democracy, FacebookCambridge Analytica data scandal, European Centre for Press and Media Freedom, Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation, "The 2019 Pulitzer Prize Finalist in National Reporting", "Search Results for England | findmypast.co.uk", "Whatever the party, our political elite is an Oxbridge club", "Wikipedia's Jimmy Wales: 'It's true, I'm not a billionaire. In its decision of 13 June 2022, the High Court found that the TED talk, published in April 2019, was political expression of high importance, and great public interest, not only in the UK but worldwide - an aspect of the ruling that has not been challenged. (Representatives from Channel 4 News and The New York Times said they were not aware she had done this.). [1] In conversation with TED Global Curator Bruno Giussani, Cadwalladr discusses the latest on her reporting on the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal -- and what we still don't know about the transatlantic links between Brexit and the 2016 US presidential election. She accused Facebook of breaking democracy, a moment described as a 'truth bomb'. Dont forget your child should come to school in costume as their favourite character tomorrow Its the email every parent dreads receiving. When Cadwalladr presented her reporting to The Observer, The Guardians Sunday edition, she told me her editors said it would have to run as a short news story. Her occasional podcast, produced independently of The Guardian, is called Dial M for Mueller.. Ms Cadwalladr had to rely on 29,000 people who contributed to her legal defence fund. No commitment. Carole Cadwalladr. Carole Cadwalladr (fan acc) Journalist. The case, which has been going on for nearly three years, centred on comments Ms Cadwalladr made in a TED talk which has been viewed more than five million times since it was broadcast online in April 2019. [2], Cadwalladr was born in Taunton, Somerset,[3][bettersourceneeded] and raised in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales. This morning the legal case between Arron Banks and the journalist Carole Cadwalladr was due to start. To make a lasting change, we carry out in-depth work with governments and institutions. When Catherine Belton, author of Putins People, and HarperCollins, her publisher, were sued for libel in 2021 by several oligarchs, including Roman Abramovich and a Russian oil company, she told MPs that her case had cost the publisher 1.5m in legal fees to defend and could have cost 5m if the case had gone to trial. You have to be very rich or very brave not to back away. because it was aimed at isolating and intimidating Cadwalladr. ", "Dear Carol: I salute your courage. Eventually, she was introduced to Christopher Wylie, the pink-haired former staffer who would, over time, become famous for blowing the whistle on its practices, saying he felt a huge amount of shame about the data he weaponized in 2016. We call on Banks to drop this abusive lawsuit and cease efforts to stifle public interest reporting. Banks pursued her as an individual, rather than the media outlets which published her reporting, isolating her and exposing her to extensive legal costs which many journalists would not be able to take on. Declawing is the amputation of all or part of the last joint in a cats toes to prevent their natural scratching behavior. A & B Animal Rescue of SW Arkansas (Ashdown, AR), Almost Home Dog Rescue of Ohio (Dublin, OH), American Humane (Washington, DC), Animal Humane New Mexico (Albuquerque, NM), ARK - Animal Rescue Konsortium (Crescent City, FL), Animal Rescue of the Rockies (Aurora, CO), Animal Rescue Rhode Island (Peace Dale, RI), APA Adoption Center (St. Louis, MO), Arizona Humane Society, Baldwin Humane Society . Admittedly,there was a change in circumstances in April 2020, after the Electoral Commission confirmed it accepted theNational Crime Agencys conclusions thatit had found no evidence that Banks had broken the law meaning that Cadwalladrcould no longer rely on the public interest defence. 2023 BBC. In an April TED Talk, she accused Banks, of Leave.EU, of. Bruno Giussani is the Global Curator of TED and the Lead Curator of TED's climate initiative, Countdown. Ready to adopt? We need you. The journalist's successful defence is a testament to her courage and a warning to the very wealthy that they can't rely on the courts to escape criticism Carole Cadwalladr outside the Royal. [7] In the US, it was a New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice. What further singles out Cadwalladrs crusade from the usual journalistic self-promotion, though, is that she has expressed a political objective: a Mueller-style public inquiry into Brexit. Do you think they would have accepted claims from Corbyns defenders that it was a non-story pumped up to damage the left? From the bottom of my heart. Sitting at her feet is Meg, her aging collie cross retriever. The courts should become a luxury product, like prime property in Mayfair or Beluga caviar, sold in the global marketplace, and with prices to match, rather than an affordable means of delivering justice to the people of this country. Warby wrote: My conclusion that the trial judge erred in the ways I have identified is not enough in itself to justify the reversal of her decision Nonetheless, so far as the Ted Talk is concerned, I have concluded that the judges errors do fatally undermine her conclusion. A.R.F. She has for example, interviewed Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia. We offer concrete solutions and launch international initiatives. Theresa May, hardly a woke leftist, had warned when she was prime minister that the Kremlin was: Deploying its state-run media organisations to plant fake stories and photo-shopped images in an attempt to sow discord in the West and undermine our institutions., Leaked emails from Banks ledCadwalladr to consider that there had been a series of invitations from and to (the Russian) Ambassador Yakovenko, many of which were accepted (and that Bankshad been offered preferential shares in an investment scheme to consolidate several Russian goldmines and the privatisation of a state-owned Russian diamond company, which he declined.). Ms Cadwalladr has written about its effect on her over the last three years and the cost of defending herself. Its Russian. Although Cadwalladr was confident that she had very sound defenses in truth and public interest, she nevertheless worried that her case had wider implications. 2023 A.R.F.-Animal Rescue Foundation. The judges findings of fact are intact, she wrote. A.R.F. Convinced it couldnt be told in just a few hundred words, Cadwalladr walked out of the meeting, taking the story to the all-female team of feature editors at The Observers New Review, typically home to light Sunday reads. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you through the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning. Though the High Court did not consider the case to be a strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP), RSF and the wider UK anti-SLAPP coalition have characterised it as such, because it was aimed at isolating and intimidating Cadwalladr. The judge then went through all the evidence. The judge's ruling, on everything else, holds., Banks has repeatedly denied the case is vexatious and tweeted, in reaction to the appeal verdict: Hopefully, some journalistic lessons will be learned from this episode.. This should be the email address associated with your approved adoption application. The UK Court of Appeals ruling partially in favour of businessman Arron Banks in his defamation case against journalist Carole Cadwalladr is disappointing and risks having a chilling effect on investigative journalism. Some of Cadwalladrs online critics are saying that this verdict will reinforce the belief of centrist fanatics that Brexit was caused by a Russian hybrid warfare operation. Does it matter? Thanks to you, we remain independent. ), Because The Guardian did not employ Cadwalladr full-time, its ability to exercise control over her was limited, allowing her to blur the distinction between journalist and activist. [30][needs update], In 2023 Cadwalladr published an open letter praising Carol Vorderman for speaking out about "corruption and the chancers, embezzlers, spivs and hustlers who've been accused of making millions out of government contracts and the ministers who've enabled them no-one else is doing it" and speaking "as if women had the right to live their lives without having to give a toss about societal expectations".[31]. In its judgement of 28 February, the Court of Appeal dismissed two of Banks grounds for appeal, but allowed a third which claimed the TED talk could potentially have caused Banks serious harm . There is nothing weird or easy about it. She declined to say whether this arrangement would violate the Timess guidelines. I n the imaginations of her detractors, Carole Cadwalladr's apartment, in North London, should be empty, except maybe for a wall outfitted with corkboard and covered in news clippings about Mark Zuckerberg and Alexander Nix, the CEO of the now-defunct targeted-advertising firm Cambridge Analytica. Cancel any time. As Guido reports here she conceded that she had no evidence and could not go ahead with the case. The organisations commented on the unusual step of suing Cadwalladr as an individual journalist but not the Guardian or TED. There is an issue about the extent to which she should seek to persuade it to edit the Ted Talk or cease publication of the talk in its current form. And they had broken it." The potential costs of defending a case can run into millions of pounds and can be enough to persuade many publishers, let alone individual journalists, to back down and settle without going to court. But by that time 29 April 2020 Steyn was not convinced that the continuing publication of the Ted Talk caused or was likely to cause serious harm to his reputation. Cadwalladr is constantly relitigating her findings online, and fending off activist media outlets such as the pro-Brexit website Guido Fawkes, which has published stories attempting to discredit her work. 7,702 followers. In 2017, after publishing an article on the companys ties to the American billionaire Robert Mercer, Cadwalladr began contacting former employees on LinkedIn. Dominic Cummings, Vote Leaves former campaign directorwho has accused Cadwalladr of spreading a loony conspiracy theoryis now one of the prime ministers most influential advisers. "It leaves open for the journalist the excuse that she thought what she said was correct even though she had no facts," he posted on Twitter. Do you believe there can be no freedom of conscience without freedom of the press? Both the governing Conservatives and opposition Labour Party here in Britain, she says, have got reasons not to want to excavate problematic connections to Russia. Why? Since Banks was a leading figure in and a substantial donor to the leave campaign, she had inevitably become interested in his finances, and in a Ted Talk in April 2019 referred briefly to him in 24 words and later said something similar in a tweet. The context for the remark was that the Times, the Observer and other news outlets had been reporting how Mr Banks had, as one lawyer put it, misled everyone about the number, and nature, of his covert meetings with Russian officials. 180 following. (Or one of them, anyway.) Mr Banks claimed he was defamed after comments Ms Cadwalladr made about his relationship with the Russian state. Banks sued her personally. Cadwalladr says she hopes to use these fundsas well as winnings from a 20,000 ($22,500) prize given to her by Swedens Stieg Larsson Foundationto create her own website, called The Citizens, to lead the online Twitter sleuths. These are the anti-Brexit and anti-Trump activists she collaborates with, blending campaigning with citizen journalism and, she hopes, eventually connecting the dots between Donald Trump, Russia, and Brexit. Cadwalladr could not defend the judges interpretation ofwhat she had said and apologised to Banks for that reading of her remarks. "We are pleased that the judge dismissed the majority of the appeal against Cadwalladr," the members of the UK Anti-SLAPPs Coalition said. The particular approach Cadwalladr brought to her reporting was obvious to Shahmir Sanni, a former volunteer for Vote Leave. (Speaking of Twitter,I noticed that Banks once tweeted that Ukraine is to Russia as the Isle of Wight is to the UK. The arrival of Johnson and Cummings at Downing Street has sent her feuds and fundraising into overdrive. One of thejudges conclusions wasthat Cadwalladrhad reasonable grounds for believing that statements made by Banks regarding his relationship with the Russian government were inaccurate. Thanks to her inner-strength and the generosity of her social media followers, Cadwalladrdecided to fight. The UK is ranked 24th out of 180 countries in RSFs, Technological censorship and surveillance. Great investigations might even play out this way in the future, he arguesa future where some journalists are celebrities, their work furiously promoted by online fandoms and denigrated by trolls. Get a daily email featuring the latest talk, plus a quick mix of trending content. Arron Banks' relentless pursuit of an individual journalist is not only a clear attempt to intimidate and discredit her personally, but also a chilling warning to other journalists of what can happen if they dare to take on the rich and powerful. Update: Carole Cadwalladr has disputed the fairness and accuracy of this article as follows: She says she is continuing to defend the libel claim by Arron Banks. She is earnest where many are regarded as cynical. The Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal isn't about privacy -- it's about power, says journalist Carole Cadwalladr. Nevertheless, it is worth noting the toll such a case can take on an individual. Carole Cadwalladr. It is not as though her campaign has been obscure. She speaks during Session 1 of TED2019: Bigger Than Us, on April 15, 2019 in . Journalist Carole Cadwalladr recently appeared in court in London to defend herself against an accusation of defamation brought by Arron Banks, the multi-millionaire businessman and outspoken. The Observer newspaper has supported her, and as her entirely unsubstantiated claims grew, she was shamefully awarded the Orwell Prize for journalism. She appeared not only burned out, but also slightly traumatized by her own Twitter supernova. Her behaviour has in fact been far more damaging to this country and the journalistic trade than Haris ever was. Thank you, as ever, as always, to the nearly 30,000 who supported me through it. In March, Vote Leave admitted to the wrongdoings brought forward by Sanni, though proof of direct funding and coordination between pro-Brexit campaigns and the Russian government has not materialized. Individuals can, in the age of social media, reach huge audiences but it has its risks. Keith Mathieson from law firm RPC, which represented Ms Cadwalladr, said the judgement supports the public interest defence and the "protection it offers journalists, bloggers and others to contribute to public debate on serious issues". 7,702 Followers, 180 Following, 56 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Carole Cadwalladr (fan acc) (@carole_cadwalladr) carole_cadwalladr. Only 1 a week after your trial. I won the case. Although she claimed to see Russian agents everywhere it was finally Banks who decided to sue Cadwalladr. It is quite another that a distinguished award for journalism should continue to encourage such behaviour. If you can't remember, select "Other. Cadwalladr's lawyers had argued this meant there were reasonable grounds to investigate. Do you want to help free and independent journalism, and those who embody it? When she began her investigation into Cambridge Analytica, Cadwalladr says, she did not even have a permanent pass to enter The Guardians headquarters. Sorry, no results found! It has also been updated to clarify that Cadwalladr accused Nigel Farages Brexit party of being willing to accept foreign funds. In Google, Democracy and the Truth about Internet Search, author Carole Cadwalladr takes a close look at the impact of Google's autocomplete suggestions on society.. Google's mission is to "organise the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful." But the real question is whether they are providing users with useful information or false information. Some of Cadwalladrs online criticsaresaying that this verdict will reinforce the belief of centrist fanatics that Brexit was caused by a Russian hybrid warfare operation. She gave Arron Banks's emails to Sunday Times because she believed he was a Russian 'agent of influence' & it was in the public interest. This all came out in open court. All of our current dogs are listed below, keep in mind, some are not available for adoption now but COMING SOON and will be accordingly noted as such. A GNM spokesperson said: " Carole Cadwalladr's award-winning journalism has prompted worldwide debate on social media, privacy and political targeting. If she is right, she may have a place in journalism history and validate her reporting-campaigning style. ", A.R.F. [26], On 13 June 2022, Banks lost the case. Our initial meeting did not take me to The Guardians offices in central London, but to her Instagram-perfect apartment, full of flowers, white walls, and communist kitsch in a privatized apartment on a public-housing block a few minutes from some of the most genteel parts of North London. However, the judges acknowledged that Ms Cadwalladr is not in control of what the TED organisation publishes, and we note that Mr Banks chose not to sue Ted Talks. [1] Cadwalladr rose to international prominence in 2018 for her role in exposing the FacebookCambridge Analytica data scandal for which she was a finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting, alongside The New York Times reporters. This talk was presented at an official TED conference. Instead of listening to the genuine concerns of their fellow citizens they engaged in a smear-campaign against us. does not recommend declawing, however we occasionally have cats available for adoption that were declawed before being surrendered. interview", "Democracy and the Machinations of Mind Control", "The Observer fought off legal threats from Facebook and Cambridge Analytica", "Facebook's role in Brexit and the threat to democracy | TED2019", "TED offers Mark Zuckerberg a stage to explain himself once and for all", "Curator's Picks: Top 10 TED Talks of 2019 | TED Talks", "My TED talk: how I took on the tech titans in their lair", "Facebook gets called out at TED for breaking democracy", "The Web's Dark Chapter Unveiled At TED 2019", "Carole Cadwalladr will defend 'true' claims about Brexiteer Arron Banks in libel battle", "Free expression groups call on Arron Banks to drop SLAPP lawsuit against Carole Cadwalladr", "Arron Banks drops two parts of libel claim against Carole Cadwalladr", "Judge makes preliminary ruling in Carole Cadwalladr libel case", "Observer's Carole Cadwalladr apologises for false claim against Arron Banks in now deleted tweet", "Brexit: Vote Leave broke electoral law, says Electoral Commission", "Leave. Of course, shes a journalist whatever, but shes both a journalist and an activist.. [25] In a statement published on its website, her solicitors noted that "contrary to some reporting, Carole has not made any admissions and stands by her public interest reporting. She and her friends pumped poisonous toxins into post-2016 Britain, from a position of considerable privilege and with some serious financial backing of their own. She may also be among the most consequential reporters of her age, changing the way we talk about Facebook with her revelations of how Cambridge Analytica was mass-harvesting data to influence elections, and supercharging a movement for electoral reform with stories about illegalities at a pro-Brexit campaign group. Banks has sued her over comments she made in public talksboth of which were about my Guardian investigationand a tweet. Do you want to defend the right to information? People think that declawing their cat will stop them destroying the house, but weve found that declawing rarely solves behavioral problems. That is why Robert Maxwell, a corrupt and litigious media tycoon, could escape critical media examination until he drowned after looting the pension fund of his publishing empire. We welcome the dismissal of the other two grounds of appeal which are important points of principle. In my judgment, if those errors are put to one side it was an inevitable inference from the evidence before the judge that publication of the Ted Talk after 29 April 2020 caused serious harm to the reputation of the claimant.. She is a features writer for The Observer and formerly worked at The Daily Telegraph. As a journalist, her work in the second decade of the 21st century has been about issues related to technology. '[19] The letter described the case a so-called SLAPP suit Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation. Sitting with Lord Justice Singh and Dame Victoria Sharp, Warby said that damages should therefore be assessed for Banks in respect of publication of the Ted Talk between 29 April 2020 and the date of judgment. The answer is all too obvious: because it would weaken the UK. Carole Cadwalladr was brave. But the wolves are gathering", "Guardian and Observer scoop three prizes in British Journalism Awards", "British Journalism Awards 2017: Nick Ferrari is journalist of the year, Inside Housing named top news provider", "Guardian and Observer journalists win nine awards at Press Awards", "National Press Awards winners announced", "Orwell Prize 2018: The Orwell Prize for Journalism", "The Observer's Carole Cadwalladr wins Reporters Without Borders' 'L'esprit de RSF' award", "New York Times Wins Two George Polk Awards", "Amelia Gentleman and Carole Cadwalladr win joint journalist of the year award", "Observer's Carole Cadwalladr: Award wins are 'important piece of armour' against critics who attack me and my reporting", "National Press Awards: Guardian and Observer win for Windrush and Cambridge Analytica", "UCLA Anderson School of Management Announces 2019 Gerald Loeb Award Winners", Carole Cadwalladr, Investigative journalist, "The Links Between Russia, Trump And Brexit", Gerald Loeb Award winners for Investigative, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Carole_Cadwalladr&oldid=1142152309, People educated at Radyr Comprehensive School, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles lacking reliable references from June 2022, Wikipedia articles in need of updating from September 2022, All Wikipedia articles in need of updating, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, British Journalism Awards' Technology Journalism Award in December 2017, Specialist Journalist of the Year 2017 at the National, Two 2018 British Journalism Awards for Technology reporting and Investigation, Technology journalist of the year in the 2018, This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 20:10. A.R.F. Join the conversation with other Spectator readers. All Rights Reserved. Tomorrow Carole Cadwalladr, the award-winning journalist who uncovered the Cambridge Analytica scandal, will be in court facing a defamation suit from Brexit-backing businessman Arron Banks. They pretended there were not serious reasons to vote the way we did, but only vacuous, stupid people, led down the wrong road by agents of a foreign power. Separately, Nick Clegg, the former British deputy prime minister who is now Facebooks vice president of global affairs and communications, has dismissed claims that Cambridge Analytica influenced the Brexit referendum, suggesting some kind of plot or conspiracy was a simplistic crutch to explain away the result.