After our recent hiatus (every one has to have time off :-)) it was entertaining to return to one of BadScience.net’s classic subjects – Media Mangling of Stats.

This weeks article (at http://www.badscience.net/?p=230) is about the way news papers fight for headlines by really overdoing the actual data. The headline claims of the number of children using cocaine has “doubled” is based on an increase from 1.4% to 1.9%. Even my basic understanding of maths doesnt see that as a “doubling.”

Well worth a read.