Show don't boast

The launch of Guardian technology's free data campaign drew a "huge response". So said the standfirst to the editor's piece on the section's front page last week. The campaign "brought an avalanche of responses," Charles Arthur and his co-writer Michael Cross claimed.

How many responses, exactly, is an avalanche? A letter in today's issue invited the paper to publish the number of responses actually received.

There were 41 responses out of 72 emails received that week - Technology ed.

It can seem cruel to hit someone when they are down. But Arthur is the author of his own humiliation. Serious journalists should report, not exaggerate. They should provide evidence for their claims. They should be precise and accurate. To do otherwise is an insult to readers and a disservice to the cause.

"Fair warning: I did statistics," said Arthur to me in one of his challenges on this blog. Maybe. Now do some honest reporting.

Les