[ATTW-L] Georgia's misleading graph

[Dragga, Sam]

A striking example of a misleading column graph is a short-lived item from the Georgia Department of Public Health listing COVID-19 cases in five counties across a 15-day period.  The days were not displayed in chronological order from left to right and the five counties were in different orders on different days: the two errors created the impression that the number of cases was declining dramatically, possibly leading officials and citizens to make unsafe/unwise choices.

The misleading graph from May 10 has been deleted, but you’ll find a copy of it and the new corrected version at
https://www.gpbnews.org/post/georgia-s-gaffe-prone-covid-19-dashboard-useful-if-you-know-where-look

Sam

Sam Dragga
Professor Emeritus, Texas Tech University
Editor, Technical Communication
sam.dragga at ttu.edu
1-806-543-6099

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