- We are a campaign (UK) established by journalists and statisticians to improve the understanding and use of statistics by government, politicians, companies, advertisers and the mass media. By exposing bad practice and rewarding good, we aim to restore public confidence in statistics.
- Numbers shape the world. Twisting them for political, business or personal advantage is widespread – and often undetected. (Homepage).
Resources; Directors and Council; Articles; News; Blog; Links;
Contact online.
About: Straight Statistics is a pressure group whose aim is to detect and expose the distortion and misuse of statistical information, and identify those responsible. It has been formed by a group of legislators, statisticians and journalists, chaired by the Labour peer Lord Lipsey.
Its aims are to:
- Draw attention to the inaccurate reporting of statistics in the media, and encourage better standards by training and example.
- Ensure that Governments follow the Code of Practice on the use of official statistics and the guidance issued by Sir Gus O’Donnell in February 2009.
- Monitor the use by local government, advertisers and industry of claims based on statistical or numerical information.
- Examine the statistical basis of claims made in scientific and medical journals, in the interests of greater clarity and sounder reasoning.
It welcomes articles from anybody with a point to make, and invites comments on Articles, Blogs and In the News items. Defamatory, offensive, or irrelevent postings will be deleted. In the event of a serious challenge on a point of fact, Straight Statistics undertakes to remove the item at issue until the facts can be resolved.
Nigel Hawkes can be contacted through the Contact Us button, or by e-mail. mailto:nigel.hawkes1@btinternet.com. (m: 07901 513260)
Straight Statistics is a company limited by guarantee, governed by a board of directors and supported by an Advisory Council. It is backed by a Grant for Research and Innovation from the Nuffield Foundation, awarded in December 2008 … (full text about).