media

One galling approach that some people in the media have is to present polling data as indisputable facts. In many cases, the polling data are inferential statistics. The conclusions are, at best, conjecture.
By way of illustration, it is possible to find out what per centage of the population like broccoli. Taking a […]

Governor Sarah Palin has had a long term fondness for sports. She would appreciate that she has stepped into the Superbowl / World Series of politics. The media scrutiny has been intense and will intensify even more. It is part of the mandate of the media to hold candidates to the highest […]

In the growing DogReader tradition of posting an article that very few people will find interesting (nor read), here is another statistical concept that the media mangle. This is happening with more regularity, as the pollsters turn out increasing data to chart the final stages of the American presidential election.
The error that the media […]

A sampling of the online news sites from Brazil finds that the Brazilian media are treating the Olympic loss, in women’s soccer, as a national tragedy. Brazil lost to the USA: 1 - 0. The statistics are cited:

Brazil advantage in possessions: 58% of the time
Brazil advantage in shots: 16 to […]

The news services creep ever so close to tabloid journalism. As one of the most critical elections in decades approaches, the present focus is not on war, the economy or health care. Instead, the news media think that the interest of the public rests in marital infidelity, paternity tests and clandestine late night […]

First impressions is a one chance thing. Cuil, with the help of some ex-Google people, launched and is the target of some scathing press:
“Google challenger Cuil launched last night in blaze of glory. And it went down in a ball of flames. Immediately after launch, the criticism started to pile on: results were incomplete, […]

There can be little doubt about the media coverage in favour of Senator Obama. It has come to the point where the press coverage is mocking. While the national and international press focus on Senator Obama’s high profile appearances in Berlin and his meetings with foreign leaders, the contrasting headlines are about Senator […]

It must be unimaginably tough. Silda Spitzer stood to her husband’s right side, as he faced the media and made a statement. It was political theater.
Must this be the standard procedure for a husband’s public embarrassment? Must there be the dutiful wife on-stage scene?
Silda Spitzer is a Harvard graduate - a […]