Have you ever wondered what goes through the minds of people that feel so strongly on an issue that they just make things up? The world is full of well-intentioned folks who just can’t look at an issue and dispassionately articulate the facts.

Now comes the Chicago Tribune with an article about the “Top 10 Dubious Data List,” a fascinating collection of outrageous misinformation that during 2006 was laid before the public. Not surprisingly to those of us who have been in the alcohol business for longer than 10 minutes, some of the most outrageous, egregious “dubious” honors center on alcohol. Now don’t get me wrong, there are problems with irresponsible use of alcohol and lots of people in the industry, in not-for-profits, and in the government, are working hard to combat them. But hey, why can’t these characters just tell things straight?
Read on:

Low and behold, a number of the past year’s top media fabrications listed in the “Top 10 Dubious Data” list concerned alcohol and underage drinking. Take a look:

• “The media gushed over an AP report that “all but confirm[ed] what goes on in those `Girls Gone Wild’ spring-break videos:” young women blacking out from drinking, having sex with more than one partner and so forth. Actually, the American Medical Association study was a non-random Internet poll of volunteers, of which only 27 percent had been on spring break.”

• “The Wall Street Journal misreported that teenage girls increased alcohol consumption more than 30 percent from 1999 to 2004. The study’s mistake was that it treated, for example, a 6-ounce glass of alcohol the same as an ounce of alcohol mixed with 5 ounces of orange juice. U.S. government studies show that binge drinking by college-age women has remained steady since 1980 and daily drinking has been declining since 2002.”

• “Forbes and The New York Times bit on a study by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, which claimed that the alcohol industry reaped almost $50 billion, or half its revenue, from underage drinkers. To buy that, you have to believe that teen drinkers consume as much as all adult drinkers combined, and that half of all teens consume more than 1,000 drinks a year, or almost three daily.”

Three cheers to the Chicago Tribune for getting out the facts. We need more reporters and news organizations to ask better questions before they just publish whatever these guys have to say. They sure ask me lots of questions!

If you want any detail on any of these three studies, just let me know. And, as always, anyone associated with any of the three items mentioned is welcome to post a response, a defense, an apologia right here at www.NoBullBar.com
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