Statistics about Maine child abuse are troubling, but it’s important to look at the details
Long ago, when I was a new City Hall reporter in another state, crime statistics seemed to show a big single-year change. I don’t remember if it was an increase or a decrease. But when I spoke to a leading expert on crime statistics, he told me the change was meaningless.
I don’t remember the details; in part, it was because of how easily a single-year change could be due to random chance. But I vividly remember the response of my editor: “Thanks a lot,” she said. “You just reported us out of a good story.”
So I understand the temptation, when the federal government releases its annual “Child Maltreatment” report ...
