UtneCast: Understanding Campaign Statistics, Polls, and the $700 Billion Bailout
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Understanding Statistics and the Bailout with Joel Best: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
Right now, congress is negotiating a $700 billion bailout plan for Wall Street. For most people, $700 billion is an inconceivable figure. “The mind boggles,” Joel Best writes in his new book, Stat-Spotting: A Field Guide to Identifying Dubious Data. “We may be able to wrap our heads around a million, but billions and trillions are almost unimaginably big numbers.”
During campaign seasons, confusing statistics and unimaginably large numbers are commonplace. For the latest episode of the UtneCast, I spoke with Best about how regular people can make sense of statistics, polls, and the $700 bailout.
You can listen to the interview above, or to subscribe to the UtneCast for free through iTunes, click here.