Of Interest... To Me

This story is a perfect example of why readers should be ever wary of data reported in the media - and the stories built on them.
A front page Washington Post story reports that "only 5.7 percent of rapes officially recorded by police in England and Wales end in a conviction." A terrible figure to be sure and the Post spends hundreds of words elaborating on why it is: social, cultural, police and jury bias.

But buried deep, deep in the story is this shocking number. Only 13 percent of rapes reported in the U.S. end in conviction.

Whoa! That doesn't seem to be much better than England. yes, it is double the Brit rate, but only 13%?!?!? I was expecting a number in the 40s. Seems like the Post should do a follow up story on why the percentage in the U.S. is so low.

Not sure who said it, but it is true: statistics are like bikinis in that what they reveal is as interesting as what they conceal.