Saturday, November 28, 2020

Blinded by a Blizzard of Data

 Blinded by a Blizzard of Data

Excerpt: There are lies, damned lies, and statistics. While this warning is never terribly far from the political surface, it should be axiomatic whenever anyone starts talking about Covid data. It has been years since a common pool of data has been so thoroughly mishandled by all sides, and this is sure to continue at least until a vaccine has been developed and delivered. The surest sign that someone is playing fast and loose with statistics in order to push a particular point of view is the absence of context. And regardless of one’s position on the need for Covid lockdowns, one thing is clear: since the outset, the media have quoted Covid statistics with a consistent absence of context. The result has been to turn people who believe Covid is a significant danger into quivering cowards, and to cause people who believe Covid isn’t all that dangerous to dismiss the warnings entirely. [One of the things I look to AIER for is making sense of statistics because that’s what they do for a living. They’ve done a wonderful job of it with this piece. Read, and you will understand recent history (and the news media) better than you do now. I added emphasis. Ron P.]

No comments:

Post a Comment