Is using out of date data “fake news?

Is using out of date data “fake news?

Today is August 17, 2020. Why is CNBC using a chart whose data ends at July 21st? That is 4 weeks out of date for an event that changes daily. They have been running this chart for all of last week too.

The coronavirus has infected more than 21.7 million people across the world as of Monday, killing at least 775,900 people.

Source: Coronavirus live updates: New Zealand delays election as cases climb

This might be lazy reporting. Or presented in a way to bias the viewer/reader. The reason this is an issue is that the global curve has, in fact, flattened beginning where their chart ends.

This is the official chart from the Johns Hopkins Covid-19 tracker as of the morning of August 17, 2020.

Whereas the curve has flattened and perhaps declined, CNBC is keeping the graphic that highlights the peak day at about July 21st.

Update: I contacted CNBC yesterday and they have switched to using a new graphic that shows the decline in new cases in the U.S. over the past 3 to 4 weeks. They have also a new graphic that shows the proportion of cases in a subset of states. Double yay!

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