Sunday, March 28, 2010

CNN - "At Least Dozens of People" at Tea Party Rally With 20k in Attendance

Granted 'at least dozens' is not a lie, but it does seem an intentional misrepresentation. When people talk about estimates the assumption is that they are guessing relatively close to the number. If I told you a politician received at least a few hundred votes you would think I was talking about some small town position; though the way CNN used the number I could be talking about Obama. It is not a lie that he received at least a few hundred votes, but it is misleading.

Video embedded below.



"at the Tea Party Express event on March 27 in Searchlight, Nev., which former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin spoke, CNN's Fredericka Whitfield wasn't quite prepared to give the rally credit it was due as far as participation. She estimated that hundreds, but if not, "at least dozens of people" were in attendance. (h/t fstaff with assist from Mark Finkelstein)

"Former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin there in Searchlight, Nev., was the backyard of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, but today it's the backdrop of this Tea Party Express - making a stop here," Whitfield said. "Hundreds of people, at least dozens of people - we haven't gotten a count of how many people turned out there. We heard Sarah Palin talk about everything about the campaign, to unseat Sen. Reid to what she calls ObamaCare, on the heels of that health care vote and even talking about her definition of her love of America."

Politico's Kenneth Vogel had a little higher number, saying "an estimated 20,000 tea partiers gathered for a rally in a windswept desert lot," in his March 27 report on the event.
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