Evaluating Statistical Reports

Every day the news reports a poll, a survey or a study and draws a bold conclusion from it (AS91266). Your job is to evaluate whether that conclusion is actually supported by the statistics behind it. You check how the sample was chosen and whether it is representative, look for bias, interpret the margin of error, ask whether a claimed cause is really just a link, and spot misleading graphs and statistics. A good evaluation names the problem, explains how it affects the conclusion, and suggests an improvement.