Tov - Ignorance is alive and well in Townsville - Think carefully about this. It is more significant than we may have thought of at first!
There was a time, not too long ago, when an "opinion piece" or "column" was to flesh out the current stories. The journalists where the sticky-beaks that big corporations feared, snooping around with very polished know-how, and produced good quality stories.
Today, the "opinion piece" is really the old fashioned "gossip column". It is sport today (both in the press, TV and radio) to put down, ridicule, and scandalise any sense of intellect. And today's journalists are just lazy, mediocre "messengers", who lap up the clever, but purely deceitful, spun press releases that smug PR companies produce for their corporate clients.
There was time, also not too long ago, when the sport of the time was to burn all books, and crucify intellectuals, in favour of manipulative meglomaniacs. How we've come full circle.
The two articles this woman has written are symptomatic of this. She thinks she is clever, but there is nothing clever. It is just a straight put down of anything actually intellectual, regardless that in this case it is about the ToV. Coldly, she has actually fulfilled her job description. Nothing more.
Our anger and outrage would be best directed at the editors and owners of the newspapers, media and radio. Their opinion of the general public has seen the degredation of the quality of "news". Rather than seeking to promote a smarter public, they dumb down the readers with the easiest form of manipulation - HATE.
Hate for intellect. Hate for progress. Hate for our neighbour. Hate for ourselves.
This has manivest itself here in IIS too, where some people think it a legitimate sport to put down, ridicule, and deliberately misinterpret what others write.
I love the enthusiam of my fellow astronomers with the ToV. Everyone who has made a positive contribution to this thread has voiced a level headed and reasoned argument on what and how the ToV has excited them (or not,
). But directing scorn, disgust and even threats (according to the woman's second article), is not the best way to attempt to address a wider problem. Not at this woman. Not at each other.
Something to think about.
It's an opinion column, not news. It's her opinion, and whilst it may not agree with the bulk of ours, are you all saying that she's not allowed it? Hmmm...
A bit silly on her part. I guess that if you're going to express an opinion then you'd better understand that a component of your target audience aren't going to agree with you. If you're going to do that, then at least give plausible reason for your opinion too - otherwise expect the result we had here. 
Sell your scopes everyone, we've been rumbled...
