Here's the graph the WSJ didn't like: "From the early 1970s through the '90s, offshore rigs and pipelines averaged about four spills per year of at least 50 barrels, according to the Minerals Management Service (MMS). One barrel is equal to 42 gallons. The average annual total surged to more than 17 from 2000 through 2009. From 2005 through 2009, spills averaged 22 a year."
"That sounds ominous," the Journal opines, "so we decided to check Minerals Management Service spill data and see for ourselves. Here's the rest of the story: While the averages reported by USA Today are correct, the paper failed to mention that the numbers were distorted by some outlier years, in particular 2004 (22 spills), 2005 (49 spills) and 2008 (33 spills). It's no coincidence that those were the years of Hurricanes Ivan (2004), Katrina and Rita (2005) and Gustav and Ike (2008)."
Now, depending on your view, the WSJ is providing important context that deflates USAT's trend discovery. Or, the Journal's famously conservative editorial page is once more kissing corporate butt.
[Image: this morning's front page, Newseum]
Jim:
ReplyDeleteI think the WSJ article both provides important context and kisses corporate butt.
The best editorial writers and essayists are one step ahead of the naysayers and often address the most likely criticisms of their work in advance.
For instance one might say ...
"Granted many of these spills were related to hurricanes, but we hardly see this as important. Hurricanes occur in locations where drilling takes place and there is no reason to believe bad weather will suddenly disappear. In fact, knowing that hurricanes are a constant threat, regulations on oil companies should be tightened, assuring that they have the appropriate technology in place to withstand such disasters."
Problem solved.
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