Tuesday, March 24, 2009

JS Headline Writer Can't Count

OK, so here's the headline in the business section:

DCD: wage standards wouldn't affect most projects
Hmmmm. Given what I heard yesterday, that's a surprise.
So here's the copy of the story:
A proposal requiring developers that receive city financial assistance to pay "prevailing wage" on their projects would have affected up to 11 of 23 recent projects had it been on the books.
From when I took math (you remember--using little stones to add and subract, and charcoal to mark the totals on the big flat rock), 11 of 23 is 47.826%--DAMN NEAR HALF.
Granted that by dictionary standards, that headline is correct--LESS than half of the projects would not be affected.
But in the real world, outside of 4th/State, "most" denotes a clear majority: 2/3rds, 3/4ths, (or more.) Not 53 out of 100...
Of course, the union-member headline-writer has propaganda to scribble.

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