Our Viewpoint

This past Tuesday was really "Twosday." It was 2-22-22. On a Tuesday! Something like this happens every so often and people use it s a reason to celebrate, or just as a distraction.

This Twosday phenomenon got me thinking about how we look at data. Facts and figures are everything, and how you choose to represent or interpret them can make a huge difference. Think about good old Punxsutawney Phil, the furry little groundhog who tells us each February whether we have six more weeks of winter or if we only have six weeks left until spring.

Sports is another area where details can be swayed in just about any way you want. I could tout a basketball team for making 75% of their shots during a game. That sounds pretty amazing. But if they only attempted four shots and made three, that doesn't sound quite as amazing.

That's why it's important that we inform ourselves with as much information as possible, and why as journalists we have to do our best to be transparent with the information we're sharing with you. The old saying goes that there are two sides to every story. If there were just two sides, we'd have a pretty easy job. But there are always more details and more information that we can seek out to share with our readers. There is more than one side to each story, and there is more than one way to present information.

There's an art to what we do, just as there's an art to making up significant dates such as Twosday or National Margarita Day (which also was February 22). It's all in how you look at things. I took advantage of 2-22-22 being on a Twosday and celebrated Taco Tuesday, Margarita Day and Winter Round 2. Any reason to celebrate, right? — Annie Wooden