Thursday, February 03, 2005

Iraq voter turnout and 'fuzzy math' The images of Iraqis headed to the polls were quite moving, and yes I got a little choked up when I saw the lines of people walking great distances despite the risk to their lives. But if you  have wondered about those numbers the media threw around about participation (8 million?) and turnout rates (60%), which seemed a bit too precise given the conditions under which the voting took place, an article in Editor & Publisher suggests some skepticism is healthy. Greg Mitchell's lede: (February 02, 2005) -- Everyone, of course, is thrilled that so many Iraqis turned out to vote, in the face of threats and intimidation, on Sunday. But in hailing, and at times gushing, over the turnout, has the American media (as it did two years ago in the hyping of Saddam’s WMDs) forgotten core journalistic principles in regard to fact-checking and weighing partisan assertions?   9:56:19 AM     comment []

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