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| Inaccurate Report Shines Negative Light on Americans |
by Samantha Adams
May 17, 2008
An article about American Idol appeared in the news all over the world today (read it here). It was distributed by Reuters and
written by Catherine Applefeld Olson. The story focuses on a new show from Idol creator Simon Fuller. However, in the
beginning of the report, Ms. Olson makes the following statement:
“...more than 74 million people voted for winner Jordin Sparks. (In comparison, President George Bush got 62 million votes in
the 2004 election, according to the Office of the Federal Register.)”
This statement is in dire need of clarification, because it tells the world we care more about American Idol in this country than
we do about our presidential elections - and it's very wrong. Seventy-four million people did not vote for Idol. Seventy-four
million votes were cast by a much smaller, unknown number of people. In presidential elections, Americans 18 and older are
allowed to cast one single vote each. If Bush got 62 million votes, we can easily deduce that the number of people who voted
for him was 62 million. However, because people of any age can vote repeatedly for Idol, 74 million votes does NOT equal 74
million people. Most people vote more than once, some use automated dialers, and screaming tweens will call and text until
their fingers bleed. Therefore, the average number of votes per person is likely high. Automated dialers have been known to
register over 500 votes a night. Granted, that’s on the high end, so let’s level the playing field.
Look at the first row in the table below. If the average number of votes per person is 50, we divide the 74 million votes by 50
and find only 1,480,000 people voted, not 74 million. If this number is accurate, Ms. Olson's claim that 74 million people voted
for Idol is off by 72,520,000 people; and over 60 million more people voted for Bush than voted for Idol. Suppose the average
number of votes per person is much less than 50 each. A conservative average of only four votes per person proves the
article's statement is horribly wrong. Just for laughs, we broke it down to an unimaginable average of two votes person, and
Ms. Olson's claim is still nowhere in the ballpark.
May 17, 2008
An article about American Idol appeared in the news all over the world today (read it here). It was distributed by Reuters and
written by Catherine Applefeld Olson. The story focuses on a new show from Idol creator Simon Fuller. However, in the
beginning of the report, Ms. Olson makes the following statement:
“...more than 74 million people voted for winner Jordin Sparks. (In comparison, President George Bush got 62 million votes in
the 2004 election, according to the Office of the Federal Register.)”
This statement is in dire need of clarification, because it tells the world we care more about American Idol in this country than
we do about our presidential elections - and it's very wrong. Seventy-four million people did not vote for Idol. Seventy-four
million votes were cast by a much smaller, unknown number of people. In presidential elections, Americans 18 and older are
allowed to cast one single vote each. If Bush got 62 million votes, we can easily deduce that the number of people who voted
for him was 62 million. However, because people of any age can vote repeatedly for Idol, 74 million votes does NOT equal 74
million people. Most people vote more than once, some use automated dialers, and screaming tweens will call and text until
their fingers bleed. Therefore, the average number of votes per person is likely high. Automated dialers have been known to
register over 500 votes a night. Granted, that’s on the high end, so let’s level the playing field.
Look at the first row in the table below. If the average number of votes per person is 50, we divide the 74 million votes by 50
and find only 1,480,000 people voted, not 74 million. If this number is accurate, Ms. Olson's claim that 74 million people voted
for Idol is off by 72,520,000 people; and over 60 million more people voted for Bush than voted for Idol. Suppose the average
number of votes per person is much less than 50 each. A conservative average of only four votes per person proves the
article's statement is horribly wrong. Just for laughs, we broke it down to an unimaginable average of two votes person, and
Ms. Olson's claim is still nowhere in the ballpark.
|
Ms. Olson's statement is, for lack of a better word, wrong. Furthermore, this is obviously not merely a typo; because she took
the time to look up voting stats in the Federal Register to emphasize the dramatic and shocking conclusion – more people
voted for Jordin Sparks than for President Bush. Honest mistakes are understandable, but making misleading statements like
this is flatly inexcusable. Using inaccurate numbers that lead the reader to believe more Americans care about American Idol
than our presidential election is irresponsible, embarrassing and just plain ridiculous.
This is the latest in a series of shoddy reports from respectable news sources that leave readers scratching their heads over
what to believe. Reporters need to understand that most people take what they say as fact. If it’s in the news, it must be true;
and it should be that way. News reports should be written by competent people who bring us factual, accurate information.
We should expect no less, and we should be able to trust the news. In this age of fast information, reporters seem more
concerned about getting it out there first or making it more dramatic to grab attention than they are about getting it right. The
result? An embarrassing myth is born. A respectable news organization just told the world that more Americans voted for
Jordin Sparks than George Bush. As if things in this area weren't bad enough.
What a disgrace.
the time to look up voting stats in the Federal Register to emphasize the dramatic and shocking conclusion – more people
voted for Jordin Sparks than for President Bush. Honest mistakes are understandable, but making misleading statements like
this is flatly inexcusable. Using inaccurate numbers that lead the reader to believe more Americans care about American Idol
than our presidential election is irresponsible, embarrassing and just plain ridiculous.
This is the latest in a series of shoddy reports from respectable news sources that leave readers scratching their heads over
what to believe. Reporters need to understand that most people take what they say as fact. If it’s in the news, it must be true;
and it should be that way. News reports should be written by competent people who bring us factual, accurate information.
We should expect no less, and we should be able to trust the news. In this age of fast information, reporters seem more
concerned about getting it out there first or making it more dramatic to grab attention than they are about getting it right. The
result? An embarrassing myth is born. A respectable news organization just told the world that more Americans voted for
Jordin Sparks than George Bush. As if things in this area weren't bad enough.
What a disgrace.