Jump to content

Is there a name for this ambiguous journalistic method?


springerrr

Recommended Posts

Often you will hear stories in which injuries are clumped together in such a way as to make serious injuries seem much more common than they are. Here is a made-up, slightly exaggerated example: 

 

47% of students in the South report that they have been violently assaulted, bullied or teased. 

 

Sounds like a very dire situation, but if one looks at the data: 

 

Violent assault - 0.1% 

Bullied - 4% 

Teased - 43% 

 

So while the numbers are true, they are, at the same time, somewhat misleading. Does this sort of 'fallacy' have a name?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use