The Unholy Grammarian Strikes Again
Aug. 22nd, 2006 10:48 amIn recent months I have started to detect a case of innumeracy in news writing that really bugs me. I spotted it today in an article about Lactobacillus anticaries, a bacteria in yogurt that delays tooth decay onset by modifying the behavior of streptococcus mutans, the bacteria that causes tooth decay. The article read, "Using L. anticaries... the bacteria in the mouth that causes tooth decay is reduced as much as fifty times."
Now, I'm going to assume that what Reuters does not mean is that the bacterial count was reduced by a factor of 1125899906842624:1 (that number in the high range is 250). Instead, I suppose that the Reuters editor meant to say that the bacterial count was reduced to one fiftieth of what is normally found in the human mouth.
I don't believe that American innumeracy is helped in any way by the editors of Reuters being so grammatically liberal. The more educated members of its audience (like me) will look at that and wonder with frustration at what our news people are coming to. As Brad DeLong is fond of saying, Why or Why Can't We Have a Better Press Corp?
Now, I'm going to assume that what Reuters does not mean is that the bacterial count was reduced by a factor of 1125899906842624:1 (that number in the high range is 250). Instead, I suppose that the Reuters editor meant to say that the bacterial count was reduced to one fiftieth of what is normally found in the human mouth.
I don't believe that American innumeracy is helped in any way by the editors of Reuters being so grammatically liberal. The more educated members of its audience (like me) will look at that and wonder with frustration at what our news people are coming to. As Brad DeLong is fond of saying, Why or Why Can't We Have a Better Press Corp?
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