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The Leonard Lopate Show / December 30, 2008 / How to Spot Dubious Data

How to Spot Dubious Data

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Thanks to the internet and a 24-hour news cycle, we’re constantly being bombarded with facts. Find out why some of those numbers and statistics can be very misleading, and learn how to identify dubious data. Joel Best is author of Stat-Spotting.


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  • [1] Jeffrey Slott from East Elmhurst December 30, 2008 - 12:42PM

    My observation is that statistics can mean one thing or the other if the word "only" is or isn't used. "10% of blah-blah-blah causes this!" You get all nervous. "Only 10% of blah-blah-blah causes this!" You sigh with relief.
  • [2] Sue D. from New York City December 31, 2008 - 10:41AM

    30% is not the "reciprocal" of 70% (might be the "complement"). A "median" is not an "average"; (it is simply the "middle" value). A "mean" is an average, but which "mean" do you mean (the usual "arithmetic", or "geometric",etc.)?

    This speaker demonstrates how sociologists claim to be experts on everything, but actually know very little; in this case, he knows not much math, yet repeatedly writes about numbers.


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