Opinions Disguised as Facts

The most dangerous opinions are the ones that sound like facts. "Unemployment is low" can be true and misleading at once, depending on whether it counts people who stopped looking for work. GDP growth, unemployment rates, and median wages can tell completely different stories about the same economy.

News outlets often present opinions as facts through careful framing. "Studies show" can introduce cherry-picked research chosen to fit a conclusion. "Experts say" can mean the one expert a journalist agrees with, while dozens who disagree go unmentioned.