He will never run short of targets. I've got my pith helmet. He sweeps a beefy hand at stacks of news clippings with suspect numbers circled in red ink, more evidence of the crimes of innumerate reporters. In the four years since it was born of another Washington media-criticism group, the Statistical Assessment Service has knocked down many a flawed study and spotlighted many a journalistic howler. Some 1,000 journalists and policy-makers get the group's monthly newsletter, a readable collection of gaffes and goofs, and more consult its Web site.
Reporters call for a guide through statistical thickets.
Much of its funding comes from conservative foundations. Many of its statistical critiques raise questions about whether alleged health and environmental hazards are as serious as media reports claim. I'm led by science. Some of his reports, however, suggest how hard it can be to stand aside as a neutral arbiter of numbers in a polarized debate. Early in the job, he says, he was invited to an elegant lunch by a well-known Washington lobbyist.