Bogus Statistics
Dear editor:
I read with interest the letter in Sunday’s (March 22, 2009) American Press written by Gene Hay of Lake Charles. In it he claims that according to Professor Joseph Olson of Hamline University School of Law in St. Paul, MN that Republicans outpolled Democrats 29 states to 19, that they outpolled their Democratic opponents 2,470,000 square miles to 589,000, and population by those counties 143 million to 127 million. In addition it states that the murder rate per 100,000 in those counties was Republicans 2.1 versus 13.2 for Democrats.
Going onto the internet, which is obviously where Mr. Hay obtained his absolutely wrong information, it took all of three minutes to find that this information was bogus. Checking on the two most respected sites for clarification, Snopes.com and Truth or Fiction.com, I found that Professor Olson has denounced this information. On Truth or Fiction it was written “Joseph Olson is a real Professor at Hamline University School of Law in St. Paul Minnesota but he did not write this, according to his faculty bio page on the university site. Olson called it "bogus" in his disclaimer and said that the eRumor dates back to 2000 and originally was a commentary about the Bush/Gore election.”
Mr. Hay states in his letter to the editor “Most Americans don’t realize how much is now at stake.” What he obviously doesn’t realize himself is that passing on bogus information from the internet without first checking it is what is truly dangerous and at stake.
The American Press also needs to be wary of passing on this kind of information.
I read with interest the letter in Sunday’s (March 22, 2009) American Press written by Gene Hay of Lake Charles. In it he claims that according to Professor Joseph Olson of Hamline University School of Law in St. Paul, MN that Republicans outpolled Democrats 29 states to 19, that they outpolled their Democratic opponents 2,470,000 square miles to 589,000, and population by those counties 143 million to 127 million. In addition it states that the murder rate per 100,000 in those counties was Republicans 2.1 versus 13.2 for Democrats.
Going onto the internet, which is obviously where Mr. Hay obtained his absolutely wrong information, it took all of three minutes to find that this information was bogus. Checking on the two most respected sites for clarification, Snopes.com and Truth or Fiction.com, I found that Professor Olson has denounced this information. On Truth or Fiction it was written “Joseph Olson is a real Professor at Hamline University School of Law in St. Paul Minnesota but he did not write this, according to his faculty bio page on the university site. Olson called it "bogus" in his disclaimer and said that the eRumor dates back to 2000 and originally was a commentary about the Bush/Gore election.”
Mr. Hay states in his letter to the editor “Most Americans don’t realize how much is now at stake.” What he obviously doesn’t realize himself is that passing on bogus information from the internet without first checking it is what is truly dangerous and at stake.
The American Press also needs to be wary of passing on this kind of information.
posted by Sam Schoolsky | 3:51 PM
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