The chapter delves into the criticality of accuracy and defensibility in presenting statistics, particularly in realms like journalism, stressing the repercussions of errors in data. It also underscores the significance of tailoring statistical information for the audience's comprehension and the challenges in effectively teaching statistics for civic education.
There's often a gap between the textbook treatment of statistics and the cookbook treatment--how to cook up the numbers when you're in the kitchen of the real world. Jeremy Weber of the University of Pittsburgh and the author of Statistics for Public Policy hopes his book can close that gap. He talks to EconTalk host Russ Roberts about how to use numbers thoughtfully and honestly.