So why hire professional pollsters in a cut and dry case of terrorism when the moneyman-jeweler pled guilty if not to manipulate public opinion.
I'm not arguing that they weren't trying to manipulate public opinion..
I'm arguing that public opinion was never high in the first place..
I simply pointed out that the poll ONLY indicated that public opinion hadn't worsened..
The industry's statements interpreted those poll results in the best light..
referring again to Post#3...
The jewelry and gem business has been increasingly scrutinized by the government's USA Patriot Act enforcers to ensure the industry's products are not sold to fund terrorism, or exploited for the purpose of hiding funds that support terrorism. Media coverage has focused recently on the arrest of New York gem dealer Yehuda Abraham on charges related to an FBI sting of an alleged terrorist arms supplier.
How do consumers feel about this? When asked by the JCOC survey if recent arrests have adversely altered their perception of the diamond and jewelry industry in general or of New York's 47th Street specifically, 61% of consumers surveyed said no, with 31% unsure, and only 8% indicating their opinion has changed for the worse.
Extrapolating from the above:
"Recent arrests" (plural) means there have been more than one arrest, the others not necessarily related to the arms selling, but to terrorist related trading in diamonds..
Rumours have been circulating that Al Queda and other terrorist groups had transferred huge sums of money into diamonds and other precious gems, because they were much easier to smuggle from one country to another..
Once in the destination country, they can then be converted back into local currency, and used for terror related activities..
This equals bad public relations, which in turn equals bad business..
The industry wishes to disassociate itself from the arms trader, terrorism, and anything else that is bad for business..
A business in which nobody trusts anyone..