Finding a study to fit the story
In the crunch of deadlines, sometimes reporters and editors don't look deep into the information that backs up the premise of a story. Whether issued by an esteemed university like Harvard or anti-tax crusaders like the Howard Jarvis group, if it fits it goes.
Reporter Dan Abendschein has been working on a story about abuse allegations in custody cases. As part of that, he had looked for reputable studies and thought he found one in a Newsweek article that stated: "according to one 2004 survey in Massachusetts by Harvard's Jay Silverman, 54 percent of custody cases involving documented spousal abuse were decided in favor of the alleged batterers. Parental alienation was used as an argument in nearly every case. "
The problem, as Dan quickly found out, was that only 39 women were interviewed. Also, apparently, the women were found by the Battered Women's Testimony Project.