tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4748060798655400108.post8618110913580021738..comments2023-11-02T08:55:35.510-07:00Comments on Market Design: Debate over kidney sales in ScotlandAl Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02232854038397912604noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4748060798655400108.post-42443081777492169912011-08-04T10:17:46.362-07:002011-08-04T10:17:46.362-07:00one point on the negative press - I think the fata...one point on the negative press - I think the fatal rethorical mistake in the BMJ article was to link kidney sales and student debt:<br /><br /><i>But if the standard payment were equivalent to the average annual income in the UK, currently about £28000, it would be an incentive across most income levels for those who wanted to do a kind deed and make enough money to, for instance, pay off university loans.</i><br /><br />As noted in one other of your posts, university tuition fees are coming to England, and there are discussions regarding introducing them in Scotland too - the debate on student fees and the consequent debt is still hot over here in the UK, and my guess is that most newspapers couldn't let the connection go by unused.<br /><br />Depending on which newsource you look at, the original statement is portraied as the still mild "Students <i>could</i> pay off debts by donating kidneys, says academic" in <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8677153/Students-could-pay-off-debts-by-donating-kidneys-says-academic.html" rel="nofollow">The Telegraph</a> to "Hard-up students <i>'should</i> sell a kidney for £28k to pay off debts'" on <a href="http://news.stv.tv/scotland/tayside/264792-students-should-sell-their-kidneys-for-28k-to-pay-off-debts/" rel="nofollow">STV (Scottish TV)</a> to "Debt-hit students <i>urged</i> to sell their kidneys" in <a href="http://www.scotsman.com/news/Debthit-students-urged-to-sell.6811975.jp" rel="nofollow">The Scotsman</a>. Sad.Paola Manzinihttps://plus.google.com/100302979616470511719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4748060798655400108.post-14659843613358989542011-08-04T03:21:59.301-07:002011-08-04T03:21:59.301-07:00As for negative coverage, I fear much has to do to...As for negative coverage, I fear much has to do to with the fact that the BMJ article links the compensation to student loans:<br /><br /><i>But if the standard payment were equivalent to the average annual income in the UK, currently about £28000, it would be an incentive across most income levels for those who wanted to do a kind deed and make enough money to, <b>for instance, pay off university loans.</b></i><br /><br />As you noted in another post, university fees are going to be introduced in England from 2012/13, there is at least some discussion to do so in Scotland too, and the issue of student debt is hotly debated. <br /><br />I guess many newspapers couldn't miss the opportunity for a strong headline, and it is interesting to see how some have turned a statement of fact into more and more of an incitation, from the mild "Students <i>could</i> pay off debts by donating kidneys, says academic" in <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8677153/Students-could-pay-off-debts-by-donating-kidneys-says-academic.html" rel="nofollow"> The Telegraph</a> to "Hard-up students <i>'should</i> sell a kidney for £28k to pay off debts'" on <a href="http://news.stv.tv/scotland/tayside/264792-students-should-sell-their-kidneys-for-28k-to-pay-off-debts/" rel="nofollow"> STV (Scottish TV)</a>, to the <a href="http://www.scotsman.com/news/Debthit-students-urged-to-sell.6811975.jp" rel="nofollow"> Scotsman's</a> "Debt-hit students <i>urged</i> to sell their kidneys". Sad.Paola Manzinihttps://plus.google.com/100302979616470511719noreply@blogger.com