There’s More to Hate Crime Stats Than Meets the Eye
Upon first glance, the FBI’s news that hate crimes based on sexual orientation were up 11 percent in 2008 from the previous year suggests a giant uptick in violence against America’s LGBTQ population. However, as Andrew Sullivan and Mark Thompson remind us, although the topic of hate crimes is not one to downplay, it’s important to look closely at the story behind these kinds of statistical reports before drawing large-scale conclusions. –KA
Wait, before you go…Andrew Sullivan in The Atlantic:
Mark Thompson points out a left-wing ritual:
[T]hese particular FBI statistics are virtually useless for evaluating year-to-year trends – always have been, always will be. This year, the FBI itself went out of its way to warn against such readings, stating “our Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program doesn’t report trends in hate crime stats—yearly increases or decreases often occur because the number of agencies who report to us varies from year to year.”
If you're reading this, you probably already know that non-profit, independent journalism is under threat worldwide. Independent news sites are overshadowed by larger heavily funded mainstream media that inundate us with hype and noise that barely scratch the surface. We believe that our readers deserve to know the full story. Truthdig writers bravely dig beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that tells you what’s really happening and who’s rolling up their sleeves to do something about it.
Like you, we believe a well-informed public that doesn’t have blind faith in the status quo can help change the world. Your contribution of as little as $5 monthly or $35 annually will make you a groundbreaking member and lays the foundation of our work.
Support Truthdig
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.