How much oil? (intereractive flash slide shown on msnbc.com)

[HughMoran]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37091079

[damntexdem]

1. Bad numbers -- it's more like 70k BARRELS a day.

An Exxon Valdez every four days.

Or about 130,000 average U.S. males a day.

[HughMoran]

3. Doesn't that miss the point?

...in order for you to make a point?

The guy is barely visible as it is in comparison - that's the point - the numbers being off doesn't change the scale of it much when mini-man is barely visible as it is :P

[gristy]

4. The numbers do matter. They matter very much.

5,000 barrels a day is bad
70,000 barrels a day is 14x as bad
MSNBC is failing their journalistic duty in using here without question or comment the 5,000 barrels per day number

[HughMoran]

5. The scale comparison is what this is about

Not the absolute numbers.

Missing the point of the demonstration to make another point is nice, but misses the point.

Besides - should MSNBC and others who have reported that the numbers are likey much bigger simply use those unofficial numbers in their reporting? Shouldn't they wait for a confirmation of the larger numbers before assuming they are accurate? Isn't what you suggest actually shoddy reporting? I personally believe the numbers are much larger based on looking at the pipe, but I can't expect others to accept this without some official estimation.

[gristy]

6. This is presumably a quantitative comparison. A comparison of the volume

of a man to the volume of oil released. How big of a difference is a factor of 14? Go to the last graphic and imagine the man being 1/14th as tall as he is in that graphic.

Absolute values of numbers are a big deal.

That said, I understand and agree with your point that this spill is very bad.

[gristy]

7. Yes, it is shoddy reporting that the graphic uses the 5,000 barrels per day number as gospel.

But I have not said that the 70,000 barrels per day number should be reported or accepted as gospel either.

[HughMoran]

8. Weird, I just read that a professor who's been allowed to see pipe agrees with BP's assessment

:wtf:

Of course that section of the story has been cut out as they are constantly editing the ongoing story of the insertion tube.

[PSPS]

2. The lying continues

I see they're still promoting the now-discredited "210,000 gallons per day" lie. The actual rate is at least ten times that.

Of course, the M$M, including NBC, relies heavily on advertising revenue from BP and the rest of the oil industry for their existence. So their main charge today is to protect their benefactors in the oil industry.