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Statistics, when used in a misleading fashion, can trick the casual observer into believing something other than what the data shows. That is, a misuse of statistics occurs when a statistical argument asserts a falsehood. In some cases, the misuse may be accidental. In others, it is purposeful and for the gain of the perpetrator.
Misleading graphs are often used in false advertising. One of the first authors to write about misleading graphs was Darrell Huff, publisher of the 1954 book How to Lie with Statistics. The field of data visualization describes ways to present information that avoids creating misleading graphs.
Simpson's paradox has been used to illustrate the kind of misleading pancakes that the misuse of statistics can generate. [7] [8] Edward H. Simpson first described this phenomenon in a technical paper in 1951, [9] but the statisticians Karl Pearson (in 1899 [10]) and Udny Yule (in 1903 [11]) had mentioned similar effects earlier.
The President's Falsehoods, Misleading Claims and Flat-Out Lies. [141] [142] By October 9, 2019, The Washington Post ' s fact-checking team documented that Trump had "made 13,435 false or misleading claims over 993 days". [143] On October 18, 2019, the Washington Post Fact Checker newsletter described the situation: A thousand days of Trump.
Fake news is false or misleading information presented as news. [10] [16] The term as it developed in 2017 is a neologism (a new or re-purposed expression that is entering the language, driven by culture or technology changes). [17]
For example, by truncating the bottom of a line or bar chart so that differences seem larger than they are. Or, by representing one-dimensional quantities on a pictogram by two- or three-dimensional objects to compare their sizes so that the reader forgets that the images do not scale the same way the quantities do.
In particular, rather than spreading out evenly, it is not uncommon for random data points to form clusters, giving the (false) impression of "hot spots" created by some underlying cause. The Texas sharpshooter fallacy often arises when a person has a large amount of data at their disposal but only focuses on a small subset of that data.
A false statement, also known as a falsehood, falsity, misstatement or untruth, is a statement that is false or does not align with reality. This concept spans various fields, including communication , law , linguistics , and philosophy .