Statistics that Mislead and Misrepresent

Not all statistical reports are truthful in the sense that Few was talking about. Whether intentional or not, statistical narratives can mislead the consumers and misrepresent situations. At times, these misrepresentations is the result of unacknowledged bias, overlooked confounding variables (more about these later), poor study design, or sloppy analysis. Other times, researchers intentionally mislead (think researchers for the tobacco industry in the 1950s and 1960s) and sometimes traditional and social media take an idea from an otherwise accurate study, take it out of context, and broadcast it, leading to a popularly held belief in a falsehood.

Dr. Ivory A. Toldson is the president and CEO of the QEM Network, professor of counseling psychology at Howard University and editor-in-chief of The Journal of Negro Education. Previously, Dr. Toldson was appointed by President Barack Obama to devise national strategies to sustain and expand federal support to HBCUs as the executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (WHIHBCUs). He also served as senior research analyst for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and contributing education editor for The Root, where he debunked some of the most pervasive myths about African-Americans in his Show Me the Numbers column. He is the author of the new book No BS (Bad Stats): Black People Need People Who Believe in Black People Enough Not to Believe Every Bad Thing They Hear about Black People.

Listen to an Interview

Dr. Sheldon L Eakins of the Leading Equity group interviews Toldson below.