Never Trust a journalist with numbers Surveys and polls can be tricky, slippery beasts. They have the power to speak volumes when used correctly, but can be twisted or even lose their meaning altogether if the reader doesn't have his wits about him.
Polls can also be dangerous when they fall into the hands of mathematically challenged journalists.
Such was the case this week when a survey of UM voters made its way quietly onto the front page of the Kaimin. Our task was only to interpret it and slap it on the page. We bungled it. It didn't take a genius to see that these numbers were at odds, since 25 is more than half of the 49-person sample group. Well, the answer is actually that both are right, and both are wrong at the same time.