The non-neutrality of statistics used in media

Trust thought for today - passive distrust may be the best way to be!

This interesting and entertaining podcast with Christian Hunt and Prof David Spiegelhalter made being stuck for an hour in the Blackwall Tunnel positively fly by! He doesn't trust anyone using statistics, because he knows they are trying to influence him one way or another. He recommends we treat all stats with suspicion by default!

This reminded me of my trust research in which I explored the idea of trust as a spectrum from passionate (blind?) trust to passionate distrust. In between were active, passive trust and distrust. I have had many enjoyable chats since then as to where it is best to be on this spectrum. Certainly companies would love us to passionately or actively trust them - but personally - which level would be best? Which one means we don't have to be constantly on the look out for people being untrustworthy, but not be constantly hoodwinked? Passive distrust?

Do we need to go with Speigelhalter and his trust but verify/Active Distrust approach? Perhaps it all depends on who it is, and how important it is to us, because constant vigilance feels way too tiring for me!

(If you want to know more about the Trust Spectrum, check out my two minute vid 'Trust is not black and white, and why that's useful' - on my YouTube Channel https://lnkd.in/exVJQV8D)