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."
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