Since it began in 2010 I have been an avid reader of the Conversation, and over that time it has published many excellent articles on a range of topics. I have written occasionally for it; articles on the history of Australian higher education, the problem of self-interest in the economic modelling industry, and the economics of social impact bonds. But its coverage of higher education has been disappointing. Imagine if you described to one of the smart and worldly Conversation editors a new online publication funded by almost all the large corporations in an industry, for which only their employees…