Death of Fact Checking

Kevin at Truck and Barter has a great article where he fact checks a statistic he found in a "non-fiction" book.  And what do you know, it was not only wrong, but way off.  And, to make matters worse, changing the statistic to its correct value undermines much of the premise of the book:

What an utter refusal to check sources and validate simple statistics!
THIS IS NOT MY JOB, nor the job of any of Ms. Robbins' readers. It's
the job of the author and editors. I don't know if I should even bother
continuing to read the book at all, as I've spent 1/2 hour tracking
down just one horrendously wrong data point. How many more will be this
wrong???

My hypothesis is that this happens all the time, especially in media reports about various social ills.  We have all suspected that if you add up all the people in articles that suffer from X or Y, it would include everyone in the country, probably three times over.  Part of this is the very poor scientific and statistical background of most writers and editors.  However, I think it also is a problem of skepticism.  Editors and reporters don't necessarily have the time to fact-check everything, so they do a kind of triage using their own personal skepticism as a guide.  And I think most reporters and editors are more than willing to believe that nearly every social ill discussed -- homelessness, teen suicide, drug abuse, hunger, etc. etc. -- are prevalent and getting worse, so they seldom really push back on relevant numbers for these issues.  Most publishers and media outlets have pushed hard for diversity of skin color, but these groups remain pretty uniform in their outlook and basic assumptions about society, and so their failures of skepticism are pretty predictable.

3 Comments

  1. BobH:

    I once came across an article decrying the exploitation of women in Angeles City, Philippines (a notorious center of sexual tourism). The article cited a figure in the usual sensationalistic format that a woman was raped or murdered in Angeles every X minutes.

    I worked out the numbers, checked the almanac, and wrote the author, pointing out that his numbers indicated that every man, woman and child in Angeles was raped and/or murdered several times a year. For my trouble, I got a blistering reply telling me that I didn't care about the plight of Filipino women.

  2. bradley:

    I read your immigration posts,but they all seem to be closed to comment, I'm posting the following anyway, because a lot of interesting people (and opinionated!) read and post here...

    (Sorry for the random-ness of this post)…

    Four months ago I posted on many blogs, letting everyone know that we were trying to start a podcast (Rabbit Hole Daily) by people who had emigrated to other countries…

    I thought it would be interesting to share all of our “misadventures” and news… I had hoped to get a contributor to/from every continent (i.e., a Brazilian in Japan, a Japanese person in France, a French person in Australia, etc.).

    People leave their respective home-countries for all kinds of reasons; some people marry a “foreigner” and leave their country, some people take a job or do academic research out of their country, some are forced to leave for political reasons, some do it for the adventure. The podcast was designed to welcome all of these points of view. We’ve been working with mixed success to get all types of voices…

    Podcasts are a great way to get complex stories out that would never make it onto tv or radio, and we’d like to use the medium to create something that’s informative, eclectic, and interesting, all voices and topics welcome (provided they’re well-written)!

    At any rate, I’m writing to renew my call for contributors and say that we’re still around. We were accepted by itunes, we’ve been publishing consistently, and although we’ve had some technical concerns (people write articles, read them into a mic, then get them to me via internet or skype; getting it all edited evenly has been a challenge), we’ve just received some equipment donations by listeners that will make it possible to produce with ever-better audio quality.

    Please consider listening to the podcast, and more importantly, contributing articles. (Articles are 2-3 pages, submitted 4-6 times per year, contributors are featured on our “contributor profiles” page, rules for contributing can be found on the “contribute here” portion.) If you know someone who has emigrated from their country of origin and is a good writer, please pass the word!

    Thanks!

    Bradley.

    http://www.freewebs.com/rabbitholedaily
    rabbitholedaily@hotmail.com

  3. john:

     

    http://www.4carloancalculator.com

    mortgage calculator,
    online calculator,
    auto loan calculator,
    car loan calculator,
    car payment calculator,
    automobile loan,
    mortgage rate calculator,
    loan payment calculator,
    free mortgage calculator,
    auto payment calculator,
    interest only loan calculator,
    interest only calculator,
    percentage calculator,
    loan amortization calculator,
    mortgage amortization calculator, auto finance calculator,
    car loan payment calculator,
    calculation loan,
    auto loan payment calculator,
    car loan finance calculator, yahoo auto loan calculator,
    vehicle loan, loan calc,
    calculate loan payment,
    calculate car loan

    http://www.4freeautoinsurancequote.com

    car insurance detroit, car insurance minneapolis, affordable car insurance, auto car cheap insurance quote, auto insurance quote, budget car insurance, car cheap insurance, car cheap insurance quote, car cheapest insurance, car company insurance,car cost insurance low, car insurance, car insurance minnesota quote, car insurance online, car insurance online quote,car insurance quote, car insurance rate, car insurance uk, cheap car insurance quote, cheap car insurance uk, classic car insurance, free auto insurance quote, free car insurance quote, free online car insurance quote, online auto insurance quote

    http://www.4usedcarsearch.com

    atlanta used car, bad credit used car loan, buy used car, buy used car cheap, car max used car, cheap used car for sale, donate used car, find used car, japanese used car, kelley blue book used car, orlando used car, used car, used car blue book value, used car chicago, used car classifieds, used car dallas, used car dealer, used car detroit, used car for sale, used car for sale by owner, used car history, used car houston, used car loan, used car los angeles, used car new york

    http://www.automobile-dealer.info

    car dealer, auto dealer, new car dealer, automobile dealer, ontario car dealer, florida car dealer, california car dealer, ohio car dealer, car dealer ohio, car dealer on Sunday, new jersey car dealer, georgia car dealer, car dealer los angeles, new car dealer chicago, illinois car dealer, indiana car dealer, new car dealer st louis, new car dealer washington dc, virginia car dealer,new car dealer invoice, used car dealer houston, used auto dealer, dealer auto auction

    http://www.bestbadcreditcarloan.com

    auto loan, bad credit loan, bad credit auto loan, auto bad credit loan, bad credit car loan, bad credit payday loan, bad credit refinance, bad credit loan mortgage, refinance car loan, bad credit home equity loan, bad credit mortgage lender, car loan rate, loan for people with bad credit, bad credit home mortgage loan, bad credit student loan, bad credit unsecured loan, bad credit cash loan, bad credit motorcycle loan, bad credit used car loan, bad credit auto loan financing, auto bad credit financing loan, auto loan for people with bad credit, auto bad credit loan people, car loan for people with bad credit, car loan bad credit history

    http://www.bestcartitleloan.com

    auto loan, car title loan, online car loan, atlanta car loan, car loan chicago, car loan oakland, auto car loan, bad credit used car loan, car loan refinancing, bankruptcy car loan, car loan pittsburgh, car loan houston, cheap car loan, car loan washington dc, car loan minneapolis, car loan detroit, car loan philadelphia, used car loan rate, no credit car loan, new car loan rate, car loan baltimore, gmac car loan, car loan interest rate, car loan phoenix, low rate car loan

    http://www.bestnewcarloan.com

    online auto loan,
    online loan,
    buy new car,
    new car quote,
    payday loan online,
    new car loan,
    fast loan online,
    cheap car loan, car loan st louis,
    car loan cleveland ohio,
    car loan oklahoma city,
    car loan boston,
    car loan fort worth,
    car loan seattle, car loan columbus ohio,
    car loan new york,
    car loan austin,
    car loan orange county,
    car loan indianapolis,
    used car auto loan,car finance loan,
    car loan tulsa,
    car loan financing,
    car loan denver,
    classic car loan

    http://www.bestusedcarfinancing.com

    finance,
    personal finance,
    car finance,
    taxation and finance,
    american honda finance,
    finance mortgage,
    capital one auto finance, american general finance,
    finance related,
    chase auto finance,
    legal finance,
    finance company,
    money and finance,
    toyota finance,
    north plainfield car finance,
    beneficial finance,
    finance general,
    finance a new car,
    chase automotive finance,
    car finance in the uk,
    bad credit car finance,
    car max auto finance,
    auto car finance max,
    citizen automobile finance,
    car finance loan

    http://www.bestusedcarforsale.com

    used car for sale, used car washington dc, used car philadelphia, used car values, used car phoenix, used car san diego, used car search, used car orange county, used car oakland, used car riverside, used car st louis, used car newark, used car miami, used car tampa, cheap used car, used car san antonio, used car san jose california, used car pittsburgh, used car boston,cheap used car for sale, used car for sale by owner, used car oklahoma city, used car jacksonville florida, used car in lake charles, used car portland oregon

    http://www.bestusedcarhistory.com

    car history, used car history, vehicle history, consumer report car, vehicle history report, free vehicle history report, canada car used, car tucson used, free car history report, car report, car accident report, car loan bad credit history, free car history, auto history, free vehicle history, car history report, used auto history, consumer report new car, used car report, consumer report used car, consumer report car seat, consumer report best car, check car history, free car history check, history of muscle car

    http://www.bestusedcarvalues.com

    used car values, car values,
    value
    , car book value, blue book car value, automobile resale value, america best value inn, value line, best value inn, market value, net present value, place value, loan to value, auto value, car trade in value, present value, vehicle value, auto blue book value, absolute value, classic car value, silver dollar value, black book car value, vehicle blue book value, dollar value, automobile blue book value

    http://www.buy-used-car.info

    car auction, buy car used, buy car online, buy car cheap used, used car auction, auto buy, police car auction, buy car online used, buy used car online, best buy car used, buy and sell auto, buy car insurance online, classic car auction, british car auction, cheap car auction, car part online, florida car auction, buy auto part, buy leased car,
    salvage car auction, buy car dayton, car auto auction, buy use car, buy car tire, buy car part

    http://www.cellphoneringtone.info

    cell phone, ringtone, free ringtone, download ringtone, download free ringtone, cell phone plan, cell phone ringtone, free cell hone ringtone, maxis caller ringtone, us cellular ringtone, free us cellular ringtone, free cingular cell phone ringtone, mobile phone ringtone, phone ringtone, lg ringtone, cheap ringtone, free cricket ringtone, yahoo ringtone, download free ringtone t mobile, 3g for free ringtone, ringtone converter, christian ringtone, ringtone juke box, ringtone software, cellular one ringtone

    http://www.cheapcarinsurancequoteuk.info


    auto cheap insurance
    , cheap car insurance quote, cheap car insurance online, ny cheap car insurance, ohio cheap car insurance, cheap ontario car insurance, new york cheap car insurance, car insurance san jose california, cheap car insurance rate, car insurance price, online car insurance rate, car insurance estimate, cheap online car insurance quote, on line car insurance quote, cheap florida car insurance, car insurance policy, car insurance cleveland ohio, female car insurance quote, ohio car insurance quote, car insurance tampa, car insurance cincinnati, car insurance broker, cheap motor car insurance, michigan cheap car insurance, cheap car insurance for young driver

    http://www.cheapusedcar.info

    used car dealerships, used car norfolk virginia, used car online, used car hartford, used car salt lake city, used car grand rapid, used car greensboro, used car raleigh, used car rochester new york, used car new orleans, used car baton rouge, used car richmond, used car review, used car ann arbor, used car louisville, used car albany new york, used car monmouth new jersey, honda used car, japan used car, used car dayton, toyota used car, used car tacoma, used car canada, used car west palm beach, tucson used car

    http://www.floridacarinsurance.info

    florida car insurance, car insurance nj, car cheap insurance new york, car churchill insurance, car insurance riverside, car collector insurance, car insurance mercury, car insurance low, buy car insurance online, alberta car insurance quote, aa car insurance quote, california car insurance jose san, car cheap insurance rate, car insurance online rate, car estimate insurance, car cheap insurance online quote, car insurance line quote, car cheap florida insurance, car cleveland insurance ohio, car female insurance quote, car insurance ohio quote, aaa car insurance, car cincinnati insurance, , broker car insurance

    http://www.freecingularringtone.info

    cingular, cingular cell phone, cingular free ringtone, 8125 cingular, cingular wireless.com, cingular go phone, cingular store, cingular ring tone, cingular com, new cingular phone, cell cingular free phone ringtone, cingular prepaid, cingular text messaging, cingular one, cingular blackberry, 2125 cingular, cingular prepaid phone, cingular wireless ringtone, cingular download free ringtone, download free cingular ringtone, cingular free mp3 ringtone, free cingular mp3 ringtone, cingular free phone ringtone, free ringtone for cingular phone, download cingular ringtone

    http://www.freemotorolaringtone.info

    dealer home mobile rental, mobile home parks, motorola ringtone, mobile game, mobile computing, free motorola ringtone, mobile register, cell phone headset, used mobile home, mobile home repair, window mobile, mobile phone tool, cheap cellular phone,
    mobile home sales, download free motorola ringtone, mobile theme, used mobile home for sale, cellular phone wallpaper, cellular phone ringtone, us cellular phone, cellular phone game, cellular phone numbers, cellular phone company, cellular phone directory,

    cellular phone family plan

    http://www.freenextelringtone.info

    nextel, nextel phone, nextel ringtone, free nextel ringtone, cell nextel phone, nextel sprint, nextel ring tone, free real music ringtone for nextel, free music nextel real ringtone, nextel real music ringtone, music nextel real ringtone, cup nextel, new nextel phone, i870 nextel, message nextel text, i930 nextel, nextel ringtone wallpaper cd, nextel ringtone software, download nextel ringtone software, download nextel ringtone, free ringtone for nextel phone, ringtone for nextel phone, download free nextel ringtone, nextel ringtone cd, nextel music ringtone

    http://www.freesprintringtone.info

    sprint, sprint pcs, sprint cell phone, sprint phone, free sprint ringtone, sprint ringtone, sprint wireless, sprint store, my sprint pcs account, sprint pcs phone, sprint network, free real music ringtone sprint, sprint canada, sprint dsl, sprint picture mail, sprint text message, new sprint nextel phone, sprint text messaging, free ringtone for sprint phone, sprint pcs picture, sprint cellular phone, sprint com, free sprint ring tone, free sprint pcs ringtone, sprint pcs ringtone

    http://www.verizonringtone.info

    verizon, verizon wireless, verizon email, verizon central, verizon dsl, verizon cell phone, verizon netmail, verizon phone, verizon online, verizon ringtone, verizon mail, free verizon ringtone, verizon wireless ringtone, verizon ringback tone, verizon .com, verizon wireless ringback tone, verizon wireless cell phone, new verizon cell phone, free verizon wireless ringtone, download ree verizon ringtone, verizon ringback, used verizon cell phone, verizon mobile, free verizon cell phone ringtone, free ringtone for verizon phone

    http://www.geicocarinsurance.info

    auto part, auto quote, auto zone, auto repair, auto glass, napa auto part, used auto part, advance auto part, auto insurance company, auto cad, auto body shop, geico insurance, free health insurance quote, car insurance chicago, geico auto insurance, geico car insurance, insurance recreation vehicle, insurance vehicle, free life insurance, insurance recreational vehicle, on line car insurance, discount car insurance, diamond car insurance, cheap ontario car insurance, car insurance kansas city

    http://www.motorolaringtone.info

    motorola, cell motorola phone, motorola razr, motorola phone, motorola razr v3, motorola razor, motorola q, motorola v3i, blue headset motorola tooth, accessory motorola, cell motorola new phone, code composer key motorola, download free motorola ringtone, motorola v710, accessory motorola razr, motorola v180, motorola v300, motorola software v3, motorola ring tone, free motorola ring tone, motorola talkabout, download mobile motorola phone tool, motorola recallk, download motorola phone tool, a1000 motorola, mobile motorola

    http://www.nextelringtone.info

    nextel i930, nextel accessory , free nextel ring tone, nextel online, nextel i860, nextel blackberry, new sprint nextel phone, nextel cellular phone, nextel wireless, nextel i730, prepaid nextel, nextel partner, new nextel phone for 2006, nextel music ringtone, nextel sim card, free nextel, nextel faceplates, free nextel game, nextel phone accessory, nextel i710, nextel camera phone, nextel prepaid cell phone, nextel chirp, nextel cup racing, nextel battery

    http://www.nokiacellularphone.info

    nokia, nokia phone, nokia cell phone, free nokia ringtone, nokia mobile phone, nokia ringtone, n70 nokia, nokia 6600, nokia n90, nokia 6101, nokia 8800, n80 nokia, 6111 nokia, nokia cellular phone, nokia cellular phone, nokia 6630, nokia 6680, nokia 3220, new nokia phone, nokia theme, free nokia ring tone, nokia 6230, nokia accessory, nokia 6280, nokia 6102

    http://www.ringtonewebsite.info

    ringtone, downloadable ringtone, 3gforfree ringtone, free kyocera ringtone, celcom caller ringtone, ringtone maker, metro pcs ringtone, free tracfone ringtone, midi ringtone, virgin mobile ringtone, kyocera ringtone, jamster ringtone, ringtone composer, cricket ringtone, ringtone gratis, free cingular cell phone ringtone, 24 ringtone, 50 cent ringtone, free metro pcs ringtone, real music ringtone, make your own ringtone, hip hop ringtone, phone ringtone, cheap ringtone, hotlink maxis caller ringtone

    http://www.sellusedcar.info

    car for sale, sell my car, classic car for sale, muscle car for sale, sell used car, old car for sale, race car for sale, matchbox car for sale, salvage car for sale, antique car for sale, sell car online, buy and sell car, drag car for sale, car wash for sale, car bill of sale, sell your car fast, enterprise car sale, sell car free, collector car for sale, sell your car on line, contract to sell your car, car contract sell, repo car for sale, sell junk car, December 7, 2006, 12:07 am