A recent post at Ben Orlin’s always amusing mathwithbaddrawings.com blog nicely encapsulates why so many people feel wary about anything related to statistics and data analysis. Take a moment to check it out; it’s a fast read.

In all the scenarios Orlin offers in his post, the statistical statements are completely accurate, but the person offering the statistic is committing a lie of omission by not putting the statement in context. Holding back critical information prevents an accurate assessment of the situation.

Bad drawing by Ben Orlin, via www.mathwithbaddrawings.com

Ethical data analysts know better.

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