The New York Times reports that life expectancy is shrinking for US whites with low levels of eduation.
The Washington Post follows-up on this by providing a map of regional life expectancy changes (where red is a decrease and everything else is an increase):
Pop quiz: What simple error is being committed by journalists in both articles covering this "disturbing trend?"
Answer: Both articles fail to account for migration. By and large, those regions experiencing a decrease in life-expectancy are also those regions experiencing a high emigration rate. While both articles present empirical truths, demographic shifts can often be misleading.
I just wanted to take this opportunity to remind readers to critically question what they're reading and carefully assess what claims actually mean. Remember, it's not sufficient to process information; we have to be able to distinguish between good and bad information.
The Washington Post follows-up on this by providing a map of regional life expectancy changes (where red is a decrease and everything else is an increase):
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| Source: The Washington Post |
Answer: Both articles fail to account for migration. By and large, those regions experiencing a decrease in life-expectancy are also those regions experiencing a high emigration rate. While both articles present empirical truths, demographic shifts can often be misleading.
I just wanted to take this opportunity to remind readers to critically question what they're reading and carefully assess what claims actually mean. Remember, it's not sufficient to process information; we have to be able to distinguish between good and bad information.
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