Did you know...

Data is rarely unbiased.

When we talk about data, it’s easy to think of it as just numbers and facts—something that tells the absolute truth. But the reality is more complicated. Data becomes powerful when it’s turned into a story that can influence decisions, change minds, and even shape the world. This process is known as data storytelling, where we use data to tell a story that others can understand and act on.

However, just like any other story, how we collect, analyze, and present data can be influenced by our own perspectives, goals, and motivations. This is why understanding how data can be biased is so important. The way data is collected can affect the results; for example, if only certain groups of people are surveyed, the data might not represent everyone. Similarly, the way we analyze data—choosing which numbers to focus on or how to interpret them—can also change the story we tell.

But there’s another layer to this. Even when the data itself is solid, the way we interpret and communicate it can be influenced by something called cognitive bias. This is when our brains unconsciously lean toward what we already believe or want to believe. Motivated reasoning happens when we use data to justify our own opinions rather than finding the truth. These biases can lead to different interpretations of the same data, depending on who is telling the story and what they want others to believe.

Understanding these human filters—like cognitive bias and motivated reasoning—is just as important as understanding data itself. The words we use to tell data stories have power. They can influence decisions in business, government, and everyday life. This is why we need to be responsible when working with data, making sure we’re aware of our own biases and doing our best to present information in a fair and accurate way. By doing so, we can use data to make better decisions that truly reflect reality, rather than just the story we want to tell.