A B.S. STATISTIC THAT ALMOST THE ENTIRE MEDIA WORLD RAN WITH

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"A B.S. STATISTIC THAT ALMOST THE ENTIRE MEDIA WORLD RAN WITH: Did exactly 4,645 people die in Hurricane Maria? 
Nope.

In effect, the researchers took one number – 15 deaths identified from a survey of 3,299 households – and extrapolated that to come up with 4,645 deaths across the island. That number came with a very large caveat, clearly identified in the report, but few news media accounts bothered to explain the nuances.

That’s because they’re hacks, and thought it might make Trump look bad. Instead, of course, it just bolsters his “fake news” narrative. Because, you know, it’s basically fake news.

Here’s what they actually found:

Does your study say that 4,645 died? The answer: “No. We provide a 95% confidence interval of 793 to 8,498, and 4,645 falls in the middle of this range.”

Between 793 and 8,498 is a range so broad that it’s basically meaningless. 
But hey, narrative..."
Glenn Reynolds