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Journalists
Dec. 10th, 2012 10:07 amAccording to today's news in gazeta.ru "В Германии снегопады стали причиной отмены более двухсот сотен авиарейсов.". That translates to "more than twenty thousands flights were cancelled in Germany because of snowfalls."
OK, the snowfalls last for last 2 days. Frankfurt airport serves ~600 flights daily. It handles ~30% of German traffic. So during 2 days there was less than 4000 flights total. Does not look right. I think it is a textbook example of Hanlon's razor (Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity)
It is not the first time I see journalists are mixing up the decimal order of magnitudes in numbers, and do not check simple facts. But previously I usually seen they have troubles with distinguishing million from billion. (May be the thinking was "number is very big, I can't imagine it, it must be billion"). But it is a first time I see this mistake with just hundreds.
May be just a typo too.
OK, the snowfalls last for last 2 days. Frankfurt airport serves ~600 flights daily. It handles ~30% of German traffic. So during 2 days there was less than 4000 flights total. Does not look right. I think it is a textbook example of Hanlon's razor (Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity)
It is not the first time I see journalists are mixing up the decimal order of magnitudes in numbers, and do not check simple facts. But previously I usually seen they have troubles with distinguishing million from billion. (May be the thinking was "number is very big, I can't imagine it, it must be billion"). But it is a first time I see this mistake with just hundreds.
May be just a typo too.
