Take a look at this cartoon (nod to Julian Huppert for tweeting about this and PZ Myers for the pointer on his excellent Pharyngula blog).
As pointed out in the comments on Pharyngula, no paper would use percentages in headlines. So I wondered how the UK papers might react:
- The Sun: JELLYBEAN ACNE SCARE! “I’m worried for my Billy,” says Sandra, 18, mother of two.
- The Times: POSSIBLE JELLYBEAN LINK TO ACNE. Study flawed says industry spokesman.
- The Guardian: GREAN JELLYBEANS AND ACNE: ARE THEY LINKED? [ Does the Grauniad joke still work? ]
- New Scientist: SCIENTISTS DISCIPLINED OVER FLAWED STUDY after national jellybean scare. Poor statistical methods blamed.
- Sunday Sport: JELLYBEANS: THE ALIEN MENACE! “Brian ate a green one and turned into a fishfinger,” whines Pauline, 37, from Scunthorpe.