It’s Not Only That You Lie; You Lie Badly

The Washington Post’s headline: “Soldier Suicides at Record Level.”

BUT, they’re not.

As Jim Hoft, with data and graphics, points out,

The number of military suicides dropped during the Bush years compared to the Clinton years.

We know the New York Times and Washington Post closely watch each other’s stories, so as not to be left behind on a meme.

The Washington Post follows the New York Times down a statistical mud-slinging hole, depicting our servicemen and women as severely mentally troubled due to Iraq and Afghanistan, the NYT's says dangerous to others and the WaPo says to themselves.

In 1985, the Washington Post did the nation a service by analyzing the actual life path of Vietnam veterans, successful and above average of those who hadn’t served, compared to the troubled and suffering stereotypes peddled by the Left. The San Diego Union-Tribune followed up in 2005. (See here.)

Will we wait another 10 or 20 or more years before the New York Times and Washington Post correct the record? Indeed, will we have to wait at all for either to learn elementary statistics, or truth?