Here’s a headline from a story by Marla Cone in today’s Los Angeles Times …
“Mercury readings high in state.”
Here’s the lead paragraph:
“Californians have among the worst mercury contamination in the nation, with nearly one-third of those volunteering in a nationwide study exceeding the concentration of the potent neurotoxin deemed safe, according to a study organized by two national environmental groups.”
Here’s the 10th paragraph (of an 11 paragraph story):
“The new study, which is ongoing, is the largest test of mercury exposure in the nation. But the results are not statistically representative of the United States because participants were self-selected volunteers. They joined the study by visiting the Greenpeace or Sierra Club Web sites and sending $25 with each hair sample.”
Sloppy, slanted, spurious reporting.
Please pass the tuna.
