ACORN Filmmakers Batting 1.000 But Media Matters Says It’s “Statistically Insignificant”
by Matthew VadumAs damning video after video is released showing ACORN’s willingness to counsel lawbreakers, no one has been more willing to assassinate the character of ACORN’s opponents than the hired guns at the left-wing group Media Matters for America.
As I noted yesterday, thin-skinned Jamison Foser of Media Matters wrote Oct. 16 that “some conservative activists induced a statistically insignificant number of the organization’s low-level employees to behave badly.” [emphasis added]
Setting aside the question of whether the ACORN employees were “induced” by activists James O’Keefe and Hannah Giles to do things they wouldn’t have already been willing to do, was the number of ACORN personnel behaving badly statistically insignificant? Let’s take a look at that claim.
In statistics, a result is considered statistically significant if it is unlikely to have occurred by chance.
So far ACORN employees in Baltimore, Washington, D.C., New York City, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Philadelphia have been shown on video behaving badly. On all the videos, ACORN personnel have been cooperative and helpful to the make-believe pimp and prostitute.
So far ACORN personnel in six offices have acted badly. That’s six out of six, or 100%.
What are the chances of that happening?
This is –obviously– not statistically insignificant.
Actually, in statistics when a phenomenon keeps repeating itself over and over again and you’re batting 1000, it’s called a “trend.”
With the release of the Philadelphia video Wednesday, let’s add up the total number of ACORN employees behaving badly.
Unless I’m leaving somebody out:
Baltimore (2): Shera Williams and Tonja Thompson
Washington, D.C. (3): Sherona Boone, Lavernia Boone, unidentified woman
New York City (2): Volda Albert and Milagros Rivera
San Bernardino (1): Tresa Kaelke
San Diego (1): Juan Carlos Vera
Philadelphia (1): Katherine Conway Russell
That’s a total of 10 ACORN employees. Of the 10 ACORN employees videotaped, all 10 have acted badly. That’s 100% too.
What are the chances of that happening?
According to ACORN’s website, ACORN has 71 offices. I believe the total number is actually lower because several of the offices listed do not appear to be open for business.
But for sake of argument, let’s say it’s 71 offices. Expressed as a percentage, six out of 71 is 8.4%. That means that 8.4% of ACORN offices contain badly behaving employees. That’s a very good-sized statistical sample.
ACORN chief organizer Bertha Lewis told “Democracy Now!” Sept. 17 that ACORN has 700 employees.
Assuming Lewis is telling the truth (which is a very risky assumption to make given her proven mendacity) then 1.4% of ACORN’s workforce has been shown on video behaving badly.
Of course 1.4% is not as impressive a sample as 8.4% but it is certainly not small.
Desperate to defend his allies in ACORN, Foser of Media Matters can’t even think straight.
He’s asking people to believe that the 100% of the 10 ACORN employees (representing 1.4% of ACORN’s total workforce) shown in videos behaving badly is a statistically insignificant fluke.
Bear in mind if more videos are released showing ACORN employees behaving badly, the percentages are only going to grow.
Foser’s asking Americans to believe that the bad behavior of a statistically significant percentage of ACORN’s employees documented on video is purely coincidental. In other words, he’s arguing O’Keefe and Giles just happened to stumble upon the few rotten apples working at ACORN.
What are the chances of that happening?
Foser’s “rotten apples” spin happens to be the same lie that ACORN has been telling for years.
Is that a coincidence too, Media Matters?
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Jamison Foser is a whacked out loon. Who cares what he thinks?
“So far ACORN personnel in six offices have acted badly. That’s six out of six, or 100%.”
To be fair, that 100% success rate represents the videos that Giles and O’Keefe have chosen to publish. I have no reason to believe that they are withholding other videos that show ACORN employees turning them away, but it is theoretically possible. If there were 30 other offices in which they did not succeed in showing bad behavior, that would drop the rate down to 25%. That is STILL unacceptably high (and statistically significant) but not 100%.
Just to repeat, for clarity, there is no evidence that Giles and O’Keefe have withheld anything, and I trust that they have not. However, the possibility cannot be ruled out a priori and a sceptic would be justified in asking the question.
Why arn’t these “statistically insignificant” employees being formerly charged with breaking federal laws? And, ACORN keeps saying they did nothing wrong-that being said-how come they fired these “statisically isignificant” employees. Sounds to me, that these employees were “used.”
Don't forget that polling firms use only .0006% of the population to get their data. Mr. O'Keefe's data is over 2000% better than this ratio, so I don't see where the problem is….
Soros should be jailed and made to pay back every dime he stole.
Who gives a damn about statistics? They broke federal&state laws. And, should be charged accordingly. Do you think if you had/have broken a federalor state law you should be able to get away with it-ACORN OR NOT? You, know the right answer here! We have the Constitution and FEDERAL/STATE laws for a reason. This is NOT a lawless society yet. But, if one Obama continues on his path of destruction it will be.
I wonder how many of Media Matters' employees would become statistically insignificant if their organization was put to an equally telling litmus test?
Hedge Funds-legal stealing from investors based on inside information. I thought insider trading was illegal? Is George Sorros an American? If not kick him out of the country or arrest him for acts of terrorism for trying to undercut the American way of life! Wake up America! Put America first and anyone who doesn't in jail! If i wanted to livelike the europeans i'd live in europe. I don't and won't! LIke the founding fathers i will fight for freedom! The elitsits inthe white house are right about Moas quote about all power coming from the barrel of a gun and they are headed for an in person demostration of what and how that works. Wake up America! don't let these America haters steal your freedoms or dreams or wealth! Wake Up!