This is the statistical biases which all newspapers can and most often do highlight but do remember it is 5 in 50,000 or 1 in 10,000. 49,995 do not come near this result and probably tens of thousands just scrape through.
So when you have stories which are full of hope based on say 50,000 students studying for this year's 'O' levels, there will always be the 0.1% of these boys and girls who will come up against the odds.Note 0.1% is still 50. If there were only 5 then the odds would be 0.01 % .
In Thailand, Dec 1975 for the Sanya Samaki Swim Cup with Bangkok Sports Club
And boy they do make out a great story of success. The reason is that our minds are geared, or primed to react and praise the ones who come out on top. It is so motivational and enriching. Success bias is ingrained in our brains for the longest time. Not so the plodders and mediocre performers who form the bulk of the 95% students.
Our brains are also wired to link instances in time chronoloigically to form a story. Logical or Sensational, we all have the 'capacity to spin a yarn', to make an oration. So that we end up being more popular, more sought after and more liked on Facebook.
Stories are just events which when scribed down, they are inextricably linked to form a message. The spin is where the writer then knowingly puts in his bias.
Throw in a few 'downers' and there will be many and the story just becomes another one of everybody's life.
So be careful of what is written out there. Spin doctors make you want to see what they see and are intent to spread a line for the unwitting.
Its called an Op - Ed, or opinion editorial.
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