May 31, 2005
How To Lie With Statistics
NP: John Cage, 4'33"
Or, rather, how to lie with statistics with the explicit approval of your employer. Former New York Times public editor Daniel Okrent, as part of his parting-shot feud with columnist Paul Krugman:
"I also believe that columnists are entitled by their mandate to engage in the unfair use of statistics."
Did he really just say that? Something about the statement just seems incredibly wrong, although it certainly explains Safire's career.
Then again, any researcher is always spinning numbers to make a point in any context. The question is when this becomes "unfair," I guess, and when "unfair" is "fair game."
Comments
Post a comment
about notabbott.com
what is it?
notabbott.com is not spamming you -- please read
however, if you'd like e-mails about upcoming shows and whatnot, click here
search
recent entries in MAIN
A Win Is A Win
November 3, 2011
November 3, 2011
How We Got Here
October 30, 2011
The Media Vacuum, Defined
October 30, 2011
Pre-writing History
September 16, 2011
Finishing The Sentence
September 7, 2011
archives by month
November 2011
1 posts
October 2011
2 posts
September 2011
3 posts
August 2011
2 posts
July 2011
1 posts
June 2011
3 posts
COMPLETE MONTHLY ARCHIVES
1 posts
October 2011
2 posts
September 2011
3 posts
August 2011
2 posts
July 2011
1 posts
June 2011
3 posts
COMPLETE MONTHLY ARCHIVES
credits
All content on this website (including text, photographs, audio files, and any other original works), unless otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
