Jackson and Jamieson: Unspun

Below you'll find a list of their "Warning Signs" from Chapter 2, and "Tricks" from Chapter 3, and my offerings of an example here and there (or, if I'm trying to be sneaky, a counter-example. . . .), to get us started. If you can offer missing examples (video clips, or quotes from and links to articles), add your suggestions in Comments and I'll update the post. And perhaps if you'd like, use your own blogs to explore the issues raised in the rest of the book, or keep at it with the nice critiques of Outfoxed, or reflect upon what Jackson and Jamieson can offer as help for making sense of the current campaign. Below I've also listed Jackson and Jamieson's "Lessons" and "Rules," which we'll discuss this week as well.

WARNINGS

If it's Scary, Be Wary





A Story That's Too Good



The Dangling Comparative



The Superlatives Swindle


The 'Pay You Tuesday' Con


The Blame Game

"President George W. Bush is blaming the Democratic-led Congress for the high cost of gasoline."
"As Gas Prices Rise Again, Democrats Blame Big Oil"

Glittering Generalities




TRICKS

Misnomers

The Clear Skies Initiative

Frame it and Claim it

The Death Tax

Weasel Words


Eye Candy



The 'Average' Bear

FactCheck.org: "Here We Go Again: Bush Exaggerates Tax Cuts"

The Baseline Bluff

Bush rejected the notion that he was cutting Medicare, saying his proposals would allow it to grow, just not as fast. "People call it a cut in Medicare," he told a business group here. "That's not a cut. It's slowing down the rate of growth. It's the difference between slowing your car down to go the speed limit or putting your car in reverse."

The Literally True Falsehood





The Implied Falsehood



LESSONS

The plural of anecdote is not data
Remember the blind man and the elephant
Not all studies are equal
Saying it doesn't make it so
Extraordinary claims need extraordinary evidence

RULES

You can't be completely certain
You can be certain enough
Look for general agreement among experts
Check primary sources
Know what counts
Know who's talking
Seeing something shouldn't necessarily be believing
Cross-check everything that matters
Be skeptical, but not cynical