Good statistics are rarely the end of knowledge, but they're often the beginning. Properly used, they can lead to truth and protect from falsehood. The trouble is, of course, that statistics are regularly abused. These are little lies that we practice, but they're symptomatic or broader statistical brutalities. What happens is that line managers spend so much time reporting that they can't manage.
Some distortions are deliberate.
Public-opinion polls invite deception. To prove the popularity of President Reagan's tax plan, you cite surveys showing that roughly half of the public favor it, with about a third against. To demonstrate opposition you cite polls indicating large majorities against specific proposals, such as the elimination of the deduction for local taxes. And some self-serving statistics leave you gasping. The Newspaper Advertising Bureau reports, for example.