MEPX
Chapter 9 of 10All chapters
  1. 1Axis tricks
  2. 2Cherry-picked ranges
  3. 3Area and 3D
  4. 4Missing denominators
  5. 5What is not shown
  6. 6Dual axes and correlation
  7. 7Aggregation effects
  8. 8Maps
  9. 9Honest mistakes and deliberate ones
  10. 10A reading checklist

Chapter 9 of 10

Honest mistakes and deliberate ones

Both produce the same chart.

Defaults do damage

Many distortions come from software defaults: automatic axis ranges, 3D styling, rainbow palettes. Nobody decided to mislead, and the reader is misled anyway.

  • Check your own charts against the same list you apply to others.
  • If the chart makes your case unusually well, check the axes again.

When it is deliberate

Repeated distortion in one direction, unusual date ranges and missing denominators together suggest intent rather than accident. Name the technique rather than the motive.