ER for July 2009

From the archive

Second Series
Volume II, Number 1
July, 2009

SPLASH -- Or, how to lie with statistics. The Philadelphia Inquirer for Wednesday, June 17, splashed a Page One story on Gov. Rendell's proposal to boost the Pennsylvania income tax by 16.5 percent. At first blush, an astounding number. However, in context, it is not only not a big deal, but also inaccurate. Certainly, a 16.5 percent boost in anything can be a major hit. The reality, however, as indicated in a chart next to the story, is that the state income tax rate will rise from 3.07 percent to 3.57 percent, an increase of one-half of one percentage point. Moreover, this is an increase of 16.2 percent, not 16.5. Few people would get wound up over an increase of one-half of one percentage point, unless the amount involved is a seven-digit sum. For a worker with a taxable state income of $20,000, however, the amount involved would be a $100 increase for the entire year, from $614 to $714.

STATISTICS, PART II -- Meanwhile, across the Delaware River, an attack ad against Gov. Jon Corzine claimed that the unemployment rate in New Jersey soared by 73 percent. The ad did not say what the jobless rate actually was, nor did it give a time frame. Data released June 17 by the New Jersey Department of Labor showed that the jobless rate in May the state did, indeed, rise from a year ago, from 5.1 percent to 8.8 percent, an increase of 3.7 percentage points. True, this is a 72.5 percent jump. But it's important to remember the base. An increase from 2 to 4 is a 100 percent rise, as is an increase from 4 to 8. And it would also be accurate to say that those last two numbers represent a doubling in the rate. But in context, a 3.7 percentage point increase does not necessarily justify a harangue about a 73 percent leap. By the way, the ad also neglected to mention that New Jersey's unemployment rate for May was below the national average of 9.4 percent.

WE'RE BACK -- And with that timely comment on state economic issues, the cast and crew of Editor's Revenge springs back into action after a hiatus of more years than we care to think about. Postage and printing costs, as well as other issues, took us out of the fray, but the growth of the Internet and other technological marvels have eliminated those production costs. And our retirement from the journalistic vineyards has left us with more time to pick at the fruits of those who try to graft incompetence onto otherwise healthy plants. Enough, before we drive that metaphor into the ground.

THE CAST AND CREW -- You'll likely be hearing from the likes of Mad Dog O'Shaughnessy, Pug Mahoney, Dinty Ramble and other denizens of the word warrior commentariat as the campaign for good writing resumes, largely by pointing out the silly as well as praising the serene. Most of the material will come from daily newspapers, but we'll pick up on things from broadcast, magazine and political sources as well.

SHALLOW AND MEANINGLESS -- Speaking of wells, why is it that so many news broadcasters, especially in local markets, find it essential to begin every item (and sometimes every paragraph) with the word "well"? It's pointless, adds nothing to the story they're about to tell, and becomes irritating when used to excess.

PONDERING -- The wider the lake, the more shallow the shore.

CURIODDITIES -- He’s on beyond weird and out the other side. “The rain came out of nowhere,” according to a CBS Philadelphia meteorologist. Strange. We thought it came from storm systems in the sky, usually out of the west. The same CBS3 newscast featured a story about “the longest married couple in the country.” Actually, they looked average height to us. The issue here is that in broadcast news, viewers can’t see hyphens. In print, the phrase “longest-married couple” makes it clear that the first adjective is coupled to the second. There’s a difference between multiple adjectives and compound modifiers.

THE WINE KING -- The bottle of cabernet sauvignon had a “Blue Christmas” label and prominently displayed a picture of . . . Elvis.
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Editor's Revenge is a free monthly newsletter on the use, misuse and abuse of the English language in America. To subscribe, send your email address to editorsrevenge@comcast.net. Logomachist: J.T. Harding.