How to Lie with G raphs Type notes here Adapted from How to Lie with Statistics By Darrell Huff, Pictures By Irving Geis

Here is a graph... Company Earnings Type notes here

Easy to Understand, but... not very impressive...... Company Earnings Type notes here not very impressive......

Company Earnings Type notes here

That’s better.... In this “Truncated Graph”, the line Company Earnings Type notes here In this “Truncated Graph”, the line climbs halfway up the graph. But why stop there?......

Company Earnings Type notes here

Company Earnings Type notes here

Now THAT’S Company Earnings Type notes here a PROFIT!

Same Data....... Type notes here very different graphs.

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It all depends... on what you want to say... Type notes here

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Here is a simple honest graph.... Average Worker’s Salary Type notes here Dollars per day Showing that American workers earn twice as much as Rotundians

but it lacks EYE-APPEAL... Average Worker’s Salary Type notes here Dollars per day but it lacks EYE-APPEAL...

How about a pretty PICTOGRAPH? Twice as many moneybags means Average Worker’s Salary Type notes here How about a pretty PICTOGRAPH? Twice as many moneybags means twice as much money earned...

But I want to create a stronger impression of how much better-off Average Worker’s Salary Type notes here But I want to create a stronger impression of how much better-off the American worker is...

So I draw the Rotundian’s moneybag... Average Worker’s Salary Type notes here

and then I draw the American worker’s moneybag TWICE as TALL Average Worker’s Salary Type notes here and then I draw the American worker’s moneybag TWICE as TALL

..so the American’s salary Average Worker’s Salary Type notes here appears to dwarf the Rotundian’s! (...that’s not being dishonest, is it?)

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Here is a simple graph showing changes in a frog population Type notes here Number of Frogs

Here is the same data presented in a pictograph... Type notes here

...and another pictograph... How might this graph create an incorrect impression? Type notes here

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How NOT to Lie with G raphs Type notes here

DON’T Use Truncated Graphs (*Make sure your graph starts at zero- Y-axis) DON’T Use Stretched or Scrunched Graphs Type notes here DON’T Use Pictographs (w/ objects that get wider and taller) OR...just don’t get caught!