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Could we get a filter for HN that drops articles with hyperbole in the title? E.g. Surge, slew, flock etc. usually indicate bias. The article is based around t
by albertgoeswoof 7y ago
Could we get a filter for HN that drops articles with hyperbole in the title? E.g. Surge, slew, flock etc. usually indicate bias.
The article is based around this:
> there were 460 fatal traffic accidents in Japan last year caused by drivers aged 75 or over. The proportion of such accidents among all fatal accidents increased from 8.7 percent in 2008 to 14.8 percent in 2018.
But what it doesn’t say is how many fatal accidents there were overall in 2008 (what if the total number of accidents for the age group has gone down, and the number of accidents in other age groups has just gone down by more), nor does it talk about the number of accidents in any other year (what if 2008 was an anomaly). There’s no way of knowing if this % change is statistically significant.
It also doesn’t say whether the apparent rise in this age group is caused by the age group being older, or if there are other factors at play (eg are older people more likely to drive older cars?)
I don’t understand how anyone can form an opinion with articles like this, there’s no fact base to start from and any discussion is moot.
- diminoten 7y agoThe way to do it is to assume it's correct for the duration of the article. That way you can think about it in the way the author intended, but afterwords you're not holding on to a fact or conclusion that isn't actually true. Basically, play by the author's rules so you can benefit from the article, but follow up with your own bit of research to ensure the author's premise was sound. If it is, keep the information. If it's not, move on with your life.