Applying simple linear regression models, an economist analysed a published dataset from an influential annual ranking in 2016 and 2017 of consumer outlets for Dutch New Herring and concluded that the ranking was manipulated. His finding was promoted by his university in national and international media, and this led to public outrage and ensuing discontinuation of the survey. We reconstitute the dataset, correcting errors and exposing features already important in a descriptive analysis of the data. The economist has continued his investigations, and in a follow-up publication repeats the same accusations. We point out errors in his reasoning and show that alleged evidence for deliberate manipulation of the ranking could easily be an artefact of specification errors. Temporal and spatial factors are both important and complex, and their effects cannot be captured using simple models, given the small sample sizes and many factors determining perceived taste of a food product.

翻译：应用简单线性回归模型，一位经济学家分析了2016年和2017年一份颇具影响力的荷兰新鲱鱼消费者网点年度排名数据集，并得出排名被操纵的结论。该发现经其所在大学在国内国际媒体上宣传后引发公众愤怒，最终导致该调查终止。我们重建了数据集，修正其中错误，并揭示出在描述性数据分析中就已凸显的重要特征。这位经济学家持续进行调查，并在后续出版物中重申相同指控。我们指出其推理中的错误，并论证认为故意操纵排名的所谓证据，很可能是模型设定错误的人为产物。时间与空间因素既重要又复杂，鉴于样本量有限且决定食品口感感知的因素众多，其效应无法通过简单模型捕捉。