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<blockquote data-quote="Hacker News" data-source="post: 71716" data-attributes="member: 365">I'm posting this on this forum because this is an innumeracy issue and you folks are very numerate. If I discuss this anywhere else the politics and emotions will distract, but the numbers are the focus here:The last three months, core CPI month over month have been 0.0%, 0.1%, and 0.4% respectively (annualized rates of about 0%, 1%, and 5% respectively, or about 2% overall)Yet for three straight months every time these numbers come out the NY Times and other media plaster a front page story saying &quot;Inflation is stubbornly still at 8.9%&quot; or something, because they are choosing to use a 12 month rolling average, but they all talk about it as if that's just natural, not a choice (and a questionable choice that is at too coarse a level to see what's happening RIGHT NOW)Certainly there's plenty of nuance to go around -- inflation has been very low for 3 months, but was rather high for months before that, so it's hardly time to celebrate yet. But the indicators from the most recent 3 months are consistently VERY GOOD if you want inflation reduced, and this part, which is also the more news-worthy part, is not getting any attention.What's up with this? Mainstream media has always been a little innumerate but this is a whole other level. Is it innumeracy in journalism, ideological bias, general fearmongering to sell papers, or what?<hr />Comments URL: <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33192294" target="_blank">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33192294</a>Points: 22# Comments: 23<a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33192294" target="_blank">Continue reading...</a></blockquote>

[QUOTE="Hacker News, post: 71716, member: 365"] I'm posting this on this forum because this is an innumeracy issue and you folks are very numerate. If I discuss this anywhere else the politics and emotions will distract, but the numbers are the focus here: The last three months, core CPI month over month have been 0.0%, 0.1%, and 0.4% respectively (annualized rates of about 0%, 1%, and 5% respectively, or about 2% overall) Yet for three straight months every time these numbers come out the NY Times and other media plaster a front page story saying "Inflation is stubbornly still at 8.9%" or something, because they are choosing to use a 12 month rolling average, but they all talk about it as if that's just natural, not a choice (and a questionable choice that is at too coarse a level to see what's happening RIGHT NOW) Certainly there's plenty of nuance to go around -- inflation has been very low for 3 months, but was rather high for months before that, so it's hardly time to celebrate yet. But the indicators from the most recent 3 months are consistently VERY GOOD if you want inflation reduced, and this part, which is also the more news-worthy part, is not getting any attention. What's up with this? Mainstream media has always been a little innumerate but this is a whole other level. Is it innumeracy in journalism, ideological bias, general fearmongering to sell papers, or what? [HR][/HR] Comments URL: [URL]https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33192294[/URL] Points: 22 # Comments: 23 [url="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33192294"]Continue reading...[/url] [/QUOTE]

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