Trust, attention and identity: Animal edition

On a single page in the June 9 issue of the weekly New Scientist come two evocative reports about communication and trust. One recounts that elephant herds respond only to the alarm calls of familiar voices. If they hear a taped ``lion warning'' from a strange herd, they don't take the usual defensive action. It seems odd, as a lion is a lion, but it suggests that even in elephants communication is not just about information -- it's also about ``who'' is sending the message, and if s/he is ``one of us.''

The other brief story explains how magpie lark pairs sing duets better the longer they are together -- and the duets of the long-coupled evoke more responses in other birds than less skilled singing. Another instance in which the message tells about the messenger, and its relation to other members of its species.

And speaking of trust and identity, I was tempted to go to the original papers in these two instances, thus skipping any mention of New Scientist and making myself look better informed than I am. I think that's what New Scientist did to me recently with this piece on prejudice.

It reviews the issues I cover in my book, mentions a number of people I write about (few of whom are household names) yet gives me no mention. Could be a coincidence, but in my opinion it's an instance of a common journalist's dodge: Get information from a peer, but attribute it only to the experts and archives.

In our guild, there is a premium on information that comes from those who are not members. That is, after all, the job: Seek knowledge from the wide world. When we cite each other, we look as if we haven't done the work, and so we excise our colleagues -- in the same spirit that foreign correspondents seldom mention the local ``fixer'' who translates, locates and generates much of their material. In every journalistic job I have had, I witnessed this sort of trimming. One of the idols of our tribe, I guess.

Not having enjoyed being on the receiving end of the process (and recognizing the slim chance that I could, after all, be mistaken) I'll give NS the credit where it is due.