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The writer was told there'd be no math
Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 6:23 pm
by Dinsdale
Local news site story, or the good part:
www.katu.com wrote:
One in three Oregon schools fall short of goals
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- New data suggests that just 61 percent of Oregon schools are meeting federal academic goals
I take it the writer went to one of those 39% of the schools (aka 1/3rd)?
Re: The writer was told there'd be no math
Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 6:47 pm
by Mikey
Dinsdale wrote:Local news site story, or the good part:
www.katu.com wrote:
One in three Oregon schools fall short of goals
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- New data suggests that just 61 percent of Oregon schools are meeting federal academic goals
I take it the writer went to one of those 39% of the schools (aka 1/3rd)?
It's called rounding to the nearest fraction. 39% is closer to 1/3 than it is to 1/2 or 1/4.
They're just dumbing down the headline to make it understandable to their average dumbass reader, who probably understands "one in threee" better than 39%.
Would you object to calling 34% "one in three"?
How about 33%?
Re: The writer was told there'd be no math
Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 7:07 pm
by MgoBlue-LightSpecial
Good point. A mathematical equation as the headline would've been awkward journalism.
Re: The writer was told there'd be no math
Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 7:32 pm
by MgoBlue-LightSpecial
Headlines are about attention grabbing. If you want to learn stuff, I'd suggest reading the actual articles.
Re: The writer was told there'd be no math
Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 7:32 pm
by Mikey
Roach wrote:Really. Accuracy should never get in the way of a good headline.
Actually, the headline understated the number of failing schools by either 6% or by 18%, depending on how you look at it.
And...
Accuracy is relative, as we all know.
Re: The writer was told there'd be no math
Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 7:39 pm
by Mikey
Most of my relatives aren't Liberal, so I guess that means Liberal isn't relative.
Re: The writer was told there'd be no math
Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 7:45 pm
by Dinsdale
Roach wrote:Accuracy should never get in the way of a good headline.
From the same site today:
Hot August nights indeed: expect big heat today
TRIPLE DIGIT HIGHS ARE POSSIBLE FOR THE PORTLAND-SALEM AREA TODAY
Almost 1PM, and it just hit a
whopping 80 degrees.
Re: The writer was told there'd be no math
Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 7:53 pm
by Mikey
They did say "possible", right?
That's called hedging.
The "official" forecast is still for a high of 95.
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapCli ... 3&map.y=39" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Re: The writer was told there'd be no math
Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 10:05 pm
by WolverineSteve
I have a buddy in the newspaper biz. He once told me that the writers write the stories and someone else writes the headlines.
Re: The writer was told there'd be no math
Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 10:26 pm
by Mikey
And Barry Manilow writes the songs that make the whole world sing.
Re: The writer was told there'd be no math
Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2008 1:28 am
by War Wagon
In Mikeys' world, Barry Maniblow ranks one slot lower than Neil Diamond, one slot higher than Sir Elton John.
In other news, the forecast for tomorrow is for partly cloudy skies. How this differs from mostly sunny, I'm not really sure.
But it has been hot enough here lately to fry eggs on the sidewalk, or so the old adage goes.
Re: The writer was told there'd be no math
Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 6:57 pm
by Dinsdale
katu.com wrote:Police tight-lipped about quadruple stabbing in Mt. Angel
Story Updated: Aug 11, 2008 at 8:17 PM PDT
By Melica Johnson & News Services Video MOUNT ANGEL, Ore. (AP) - Police in Mount Angel say five people have been stabbed in what's believed to be gang-related violence.
Most assuredly "tight-lipped" because both the victims and suspects have about a 98% chance of being illegals in that neck of the woods... and I do mean "neck."