why acupuncturist don't make it/statistics

[Guest guest]

While AT might not be the most professionally edited paper out there there is a

lure and plausability about certain numbers. I remember a while ago hearing a

fascinating radio story about how certain crime stats that are widely bandied

about came about as one casual mention pinballing back and forth between

" authorities " on the one hand and the press on the other (they would cite one

another, and eventually there would be a pile of " evidence " backing the

position). Even with a fact checker bad stats become easily ingrained in the

infosphere, especially if they are slightly surprising and feed a need or

substantiate something that we have " suspected " was true. Like urban myths, bad

facts " stick " because they serve a need for somebody.

 

Par

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Bob Flaws

Thursday, January 04, 2007 2:41 PM

Re: why acupuncturist don't make it

 

 

 

" I am actually surprised AT would let such a statement be printed over

and over again if there was not some truth in it. "

 

AT purports to be a " newspaper, " but it does not adhere to standard

principles of journalism. As far as I know, there is no professionally

trained journalist on staff, nor do they employ fact-checkers. IMHO,

AT is simply a for-profit vehicle for selling advertising. The same

people also print rags for the DCs, NDs, and massage therapists --

same exact format. So I cannot agree that, because AT lets a seeming

statistic run, that statistic has their imprimatur.

 

Bob