English / proverb
If You Torture the Data Long Enough, It Will Confess to Anything
MEANING IN ENGLISH
If you manipulate, distort, or cherry-pick facts long enough, you can force them to support any biased claim.
In context
01
The fraudulent corporation produced misleading charts, demonstrating that if you torture the data long enough, it will confess to anything.
02
Judicial inquiries require objective evidence because if you torture the data long enough, it will confess to anything.
Synonyms
data manipulation,cherry-picking,p-hacking
Antonyms
empirical honesty,objective analysis,data integrity
Collocations
adage that if you torture the data,remember if you torture the data,prove that if you torture the data