Editing Mistake Search

Thursday, April 25, 2019

Inaccurate or Misleading Numbers in A Story

Sometimes the numbers shown in a story article are not always correct. The numbers could be too big or use the wrong units for what is being measured. Dollar amounts could be exaggerated in a dataset and become misleading. Slight miscalculations in percent, for example, not equaling to a 100 percent when adding all the parts. 

Example: The New York Times April 11th Issue




Explanation: 

The distance between Tanana and Fairbanks is 129 miles, or about 130 miles. The article says the distance is about 100 miles. That is a 29 mile difference, The New York Times is usually more percise.

 Revision:

 Charles Wright, who lives in Tanana, a village on the Yukon River about 130 miles west of Fairbanks, has hunted geese and trapped beaver with his family since he was a boy.


Sometimes the numbers shown in a story article are not always correct. The numbers could be too big or use the wrong units for what is being measured. Dollar amounts could be exaggerated in a dataset and become misleading. Slight miscalculations in percent, for example, not equaling to a 100% when adding all the parts. 
  

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