We chose not to share the article with Sinergia or ACE before publishing it because:
The claims we critique were publicly made—we are evaluating what Sinergia has already presented to donors, not private internal data.
The evidence is verifiable—our conclusions are based on independently verifiable sources (archived web pages, legal regulations, etc.) that are cited throughout the article.
Independent analysis is critical—allowing organizations to review critiques before publication can introduce biases that weaken accountability.
With that being said, we’re open to engagement. If Sinergia, ACE or anyone else believes any specific fact is incorrect, we’d be happy to review their evidence.
Do you think Sinergia and ACE almost certainly have no information you don’t that could lead to different conclusions or interpretations of claims, in ways more favourable to Sinergia and/or ACE? Do you think there’s no room for reasonable disagreement about whether the claims you call false are actually false?
Hi Michael, thank you for your reply. We definitely agree with you that there are potential benefits to reaching out to a charity before writing a review on them; our answer to both of your questions is “no.”
We have provided more information regarding the thought process behind our decision here.
As much as I appreciate the time and effort you put into the analysis, this is a very revealing answer and makes me immediately skeptical of anything you will post in the future.
The linked article really doesn’t justify why you effectively think that not a single piece of information would change the results of your analysis. This makes me suspect that, for whatever reason, you are pre-committed to the belief “Sinergia bad.”
Correct me if I am misinterpreting something or if you have explained why you are certain beyond an ounce of doubt that 1) there is no piece of information that would lead to different conclusions or interpretation of claims and 2) why there is no room for reasonable disagreement.
In the comment we were responding to, we were asked two questions by @MichaelStJules.
Question 1. Do you think Sinergia and ACE almost certainly have no information you don’t that could lead to different conclusions or interpretations of claims, in ways more favourable to Sinergia and/or ACE?
There are two possible answers to this question:
Yes, we do think Sinergia and ACE almost certainly have no information we don’t that could lead to different conclusions or interpretations of claims, in ways more favourable to Sinergia and/or ACE.
No, we do not think Sinergia and ACE almost certainly have no information we don’t that could lead to different conclusions or interpretations of claims, in ways more favourable to Sinergia and/or ACE.
We answered “No.” Could you explain how this suggests we are pre-committed to the belief “Sinergia bad.”?
Question 2. Do you think there’s no room for reasonable disagreement about whether the claims you call false are actually false?
There are two possible answers to this question:
Yes, we think there’s no room for reasonable disagreement about whether the claims you call false are actually false.
No, we do not think there’s no room for reasonable disagreement about whether the claims you call false are actually false.
We answered “No.” Could you explain how this suggests we are pre-committed to the belief “Sinergia bad.”?
Finally, if we had answered “Yes” to both of these questions, would you no longer believe we are pre-committed to the belief “Sinergia bad.”? We are confused on what you believe an appropriate response to the questions would have been.
While I think reasons (1) and (2) are relevant to the degree of importance/value in advance notification is necessary, I just don’t see any legitimate reason to rush to press here. If Singeria had just dropped new claims (especially during/just before the end of year fundraising period), or was in the public spotlight for some related reasons, then there would be a stronger argument for appreciable costs to delaying publication by a week. I don’t see any justifications like that offered. I think you need some meaningful alleged harm from delay or advance notification before mitigating factors like (1) and (2) could come into play.
Reason (3) is unexplained—why do you think hearing from the charity “can introduce biases”? Moreover, even if you believe that, I don’t see why you couldn’t at least send an advance copy to Singeria a week in advance with a pre-commitment that you were not going to change the text absent proof of a clear factual error. That would allow Singeria to prepare a response for submission concurrently with your critique, and for the reader to see both sides of the dispute at once. Choosing not to do so means that a decent number of readers who see your charges will not see Singeria’s response, a state of affairs that does not further truth discovery.
As for myself, I am increasingly inclined not to read substantive critiques of this sort absent either good cause for not providing an advance copy or the passage of enough time for the organization to respond. If my Forum viewing habits mean I don’t see the response (and don’t remember to reopen the post after a week or so), then that’s OK. I think the downside of missing some critiques is likely outweighed by avoiding the cognitive biases that can come with delayed presentation of the other side of the story and/or the risk of missing the other side when it comes out.
Thank you for your comment, Lorenzo.
We chose not to share the article with Sinergia or ACE before publishing it because:
The claims we critique were publicly made—we are evaluating what Sinergia has already presented to donors, not private internal data.
The evidence is verifiable—our conclusions are based on independently verifiable sources (archived web pages, legal regulations, etc.) that are cited throughout the article.
Independent analysis is critical—allowing organizations to review critiques before publication can introduce biases that weaken accountability.
With that being said, we’re open to engagement. If Sinergia, ACE or anyone else believes any specific fact is incorrect, we’d be happy to review their evidence.
Do you think Sinergia and ACE almost certainly have no information you don’t that could lead to different conclusions or interpretations of claims, in ways more favourable to Sinergia and/or ACE? Do you think there’s no room for reasonable disagreement about whether the claims you call false are actually false?
E.g. see Abraham’s comment.
Hi Michael, thank you for your reply. We definitely agree with you that there are potential benefits to reaching out to a charity before writing a review on them; our answer to both of your questions is “no.”
We have provided more information regarding the thought process behind our decision here.
As much as I appreciate the time and effort you put into the analysis, this is a very revealing answer and makes me immediately skeptical of anything you will post in the future.
The linked article really doesn’t justify why you effectively think that not a single piece of information would change the results of your analysis. This makes me suspect that, for whatever reason, you are pre-committed to the belief “Sinergia bad.”
Correct me if I am misinterpreting something or if you have explained why you are certain beyond an ounce of doubt that 1) there is no piece of information that would lead to different conclusions or interpretation of claims and 2) why there is no room for reasonable disagreement.
Hi Akash, thank you for your reply.
In the comment we were responding to, we were asked two questions by @MichaelStJules.
Question 1. Do you think Sinergia and ACE almost certainly have no information you don’t that could lead to different conclusions or interpretations of claims, in ways more favourable to Sinergia and/or ACE?
There are two possible answers to this question:
Yes, we do think Sinergia and ACE almost certainly have no information we don’t that could lead to different conclusions or interpretations of claims, in ways more favourable to Sinergia and/or ACE.
No, we do not think Sinergia and ACE almost certainly have no information we don’t that could lead to different conclusions or interpretations of claims, in ways more favourable to Sinergia and/or ACE.
We answered “No.” Could you explain how this suggests we are pre-committed to the belief “Sinergia bad.”?
Question 2. Do you think there’s no room for reasonable disagreement about whether the claims you call false are actually false?
There are two possible answers to this question:
Yes, we think there’s no room for reasonable disagreement about whether the claims you call false are actually false.
No, we do not think there’s no room for reasonable disagreement about whether the claims you call false are actually false.
We answered “No.” Could you explain how this suggests we are pre-committed to the belief “Sinergia bad.”?
Finally, if we had answered “Yes” to both of these questions, would you no longer believe we are pre-committed to the belief “Sinergia bad.”? We are confused on what you believe an appropriate response to the questions would have been.
This helps. That is not at all how I interpreted ‘our answer to both of your questions is “no.”’ Apologies!
All good, happy to clarify things!
While I think reasons (1) and (2) are relevant to the degree of importance/value in advance notification is necessary, I just don’t see any legitimate reason to rush to press here. If Singeria had just dropped new claims (especially during/just before the end of year fundraising period), or was in the public spotlight for some related reasons, then there would be a stronger argument for appreciable costs to delaying publication by a week. I don’t see any justifications like that offered. I think you need some meaningful alleged harm from delay or advance notification before mitigating factors like (1) and (2) could come into play.
Reason (3) is unexplained—why do you think hearing from the charity “can introduce biases”? Moreover, even if you believe that, I don’t see why you couldn’t at least send an advance copy to Singeria a week in advance with a pre-commitment that you were not going to change the text absent proof of a clear factual error. That would allow Singeria to prepare a response for submission concurrently with your critique, and for the reader to see both sides of the dispute at once. Choosing not to do so means that a decent number of readers who see your charges will not see Singeria’s response, a state of affairs that does not further truth discovery.
As for myself, I am increasingly inclined not to read substantive critiques of this sort absent either good cause for not providing an advance copy or the passage of enough time for the organization to respond. If my Forum viewing habits mean I don’t see the response (and don’t remember to reopen the post after a week or so), then that’s OK. I think the downside of missing some critiques is likely outweighed by avoiding the cognitive biases that can come with delayed presentation of the other side of the story and/or the risk of missing the other side when it comes out.
Hi Jason, thank you for your reply.
We believe we have addressed your questions here. Please let us know if there is anything we missed.