April 8, 2018
Illegal Immigration: Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics
By Brian C. Joondeph
The quote in the title has been attributed to Mark Twain, Benjamin Disraeli, and others, but its true source remains unknown. Let's call it an anonymous source, which these days forms the basis of numerous stories in the New York Times or Washington Post. At least the unsourced quote is from many years ago and not particularly relevant now, unlike the unsourced stories of today, which make up the new standard of journalism.
Regardless of who said it first, the quote, "is a phrase describing the persuasive power of numbers, particularly the use of statistics to bolster weak arguments." In other words, numbers and statistics can be used selectively to bolster an erroneous premise – or, to put it more simply, to create fake news.
Read more:
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2018/04/illegal_immigration__lies_damned_lies_and_statistics.html#ixzz5CMxEheSA
