Better no data than data of questionable accuracy/honesty. Sure, this may lead to extreme cases like this (though he may still be right about the whole anecdote

Better no data than data of questionable accuracy/honesty. Sure, this may lead to extreme cases like this (though he may still be right about the whole anecdote and wrong about the ridiculous number), but such credulous people would be in a worse position anyway if following the "news". In the end, there's nothing worst than believing yourself to be "informed" of "data/facts" through medias. Ages old Socrates' "I know what I don't know".