Statistics

DUBIOUS STATISTICS

Every year in my high school tech class, we spend a great deal of time learning about Fake News and how to detect it. There are many different units we cover such as how to evaluate the sources, recognize the use of satire, understand bias and debunk deceptive statistics. Getting ready for this unit, I came across this blog post by Tim Stahmer over a BBC podcast over a debunking guide in the size of a postcard. If you are short on time can don’t want to listen to the podcast, here is a list of the advice (but you should really listen to the podcast, it’s less than 11 minutes):
  1. Remember confirmation bias - how you feel about a statistic is important.
  2. Understanding the claim - know what you are not being told in the statistic.
  3. Get the backstory - who is responsible for the statistic.
  4. Put things into perspective - things may sound better or worse than they are.
  5. Embrace imprecision - there are many things that cannot be precisely depicted.
  6. Be Curious - if a statistic is worth sharing, shouldn’t it worth understanding it first? Fact matter.

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