Creative demographics
From the San Francisco Chronicle:A story Monday asserting that the number of whites in Oakland had surpassed that of African Americans, and that the city's overall population had declined, was based partly on U.S. Census Bureau estimates and not an actual count of the population. Therefore, it is impossible to verify the trends reported in the story. In addition, the sum of racial data presented in a pie chart accompanying the story was more than 100 percent. That is because the U.S. Census Bureau does not count Latinos as a racial category, so they should not have been included in the chart. (6/9)
Here is the third paragraph of that article:
For the first time since the 1970s, whites have edged past blacks, according to census data. And though whites lead by only the tiniest margin, the implications speak to deep changes within the city and reflect a trend seen in black communities statewide as the Latino population grows, analysts said.
But, as stated in the correction, "it is impossible to verify the trends reported in the story." So this story has really lost its quantitative basis, and is now merely a qualitative look at the changing demographics of Oakland. Also, the correction states that the assertion is "based partly on US Census Bureau estimates" which leaves unsaid an important point--what else is it based on?
Add to that a pie chart that double-counts Latinos. Oops.
All told, a pretty sloppy writing and editing job on this story.
newspapers, media, errors
posted by Unknown @ 6/10/2006 08:32:00 AM
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