On Thu, Aug 26, 2010 at 10:14 AM, David
Gerard<dgerard(a)gmail.com> wrote:
Can anyone else from the language committee offer
a credible
explanation of their special requirement for secrecy? Surely if this
is a requirement, it can be explained, as Gerard did not.
Hello David,
There are some cases where confidentiality is necessary. We routinely
ask external experts for their evaluation of the test project content
before project approval, as Yaroslav mentioned early in this
discussion. These external persons are sometimes in situations where
speaking negatively about the content may be seen as an attack on
nationalist or culturalist interests, and put them at risk of
professional or personal reprisal. These persons are offered
confidentiality to protect them and to ensure we get their honest
opinion.
Thanks for your comment. In the years I had occasional contact with the
language committee I always found your answers to questions helpful.
Although sometimes I didn't agree with them you at least always tried to
address the actual topic while Gerard often tends to evade questions and
spin them into something different.
If external experts indeed personally fear repercussions for their
comments in individual cases I would accept that as a reason to not
archive their comments. But this certainly does not apply to Gerard or
Karen.
Marcus Buck
User:Slomox