Data is as good as the people interpreting the data

People often try to use data to "objectively" tell a story at our work, in our life, and on the media or social networks too, as if the story is as good as the data, and the story is sound enough as long as there is data to back it up.

But the truth is the other way around: the data is as good as the people interpreting the data. The story behind the data is at the mercy of the people interpreting the data.

Please read this World War II fighter plane story tweeted by my friend Mallik first.

Any story or conclusion drawn out of any data always has to do with the people associated with the data: their ability to interpret the data, their curiosity level, their passion, their current title/position, their future career ambition, the environment they are in, the pressure they get, their critical thinking capability, etc!

Just for fun, let me interpret a set of data based on my own experiences. The data is sound, and I have also warned you about the subjective nature of my story. :)

Happy 2023 and hopefully we all do a better job in Data vs. Story, and also Facts vs. Opinions in the new year!