Library:Damned Lies and Statistics
| Damned Lies and Statistics: Untangling Numbers from the Media, Politicians, and Activists | |
|---|---|
| Author | Joel Best |
| First published | 2001 |
| ISBN | — |
| Role | Analysis |
| Domains | News Media & Journalism Society, Identity & Demographics |
| Tactics | Statistical & Evidentiary Distortion |
Damned Lies and Statistics: Untangling Numbers from the Media, Politicians, and Activists is a 2001 book by Joel Best.
Summary
Joel Best, a sociologist at the University of Delaware, explains how social statistics are produced and why so many that circulate in the media are wrong. He shows that bad statistics are usually not lies but "mutant statistics," numbers that change as they are repeated.
The book opens with what Best calls the worst social statistic ever: a claim, found in a student's dissertation, that the number of American children killed by guns had doubled every year since 1950, which would have exceeded the world's population.
Key points
- Who counts. Every statistic reflects choices about definitions and measurement made by people with interests.
- Mutant statistics. Numbers drift as they are quoted and requoted, often growing more dramatic.
- Critical, not cynical. Best urges readers to ask how a number was produced rather than rejecting all numbers.
Relevance to Bullshitopedia
Many entries in Bullshitopedia involve a statistic that became more extreme as it spread. Best's approach shows how to trace a number back to its source.