except of course, we have no context. No numbers. Just media massage.
feh.
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The Scientist
Life and Times of a permanently bemused British postdoc in exile.
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On the difference between anecdote and data
- Date:
- Wednesday, 16 Jul y 2008 - 11:28 UTC
Last updated: Wednesday, 16 Jul 2008 - 11:28 UTC
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Comments
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I can still vividly remember how Iraq was invaded and occupied based on anecdotal evidence.
Wait, you mean that was evidence?
I think the politicians use a different dictionary than we do.
Mark, I think they simply tout what favours their argument, and are helped by a selective(or lazy) media!
There was an interesting piece on this on Radio 4 a few days ago. Apparently it’s not very easy to tell if knife crime is changing because all the figures aren’t comparable year on year. But most sources agree the most likely scenario is that the frequency of knife crime is stabilized and has been for the past few years. It’s only the age of victims that is changing (they’re getting younger).
I heard the term anecdata some time ago and use it frequently. One individual story is worth a shedload of academic research…
Hah, nice term. I shall have to use it next time the boss comes up with a crazy idea…