Headline or Word Game?
Yahoo! News feature screen capture, 10/26/2006
Look at the description of this featured Yahoo! news story:
Study shows 39 million gallons of fuel are used each year for every extra pound of passenger weight. [ed. - emphasis added]Common sense would hold that the main headline itself is true, but the lead-in is impossible. Of course, the linked article - Weight gain means lower gas mileage - says nothing so crazy. In fact:
The lost mileage is pretty small for any single driver. Jacobson said the typical driver — someone who records less than 12,000 miles annually — would use roughly 18 fewer gallons of gas over the course of a year by losing 100 pounds. At $2.20 per gallon, that would be a savings of almost $40.
That's $40 saved per year per 100 pounds lost if gas is $2.20 per gallon. NOT "39 million gallons of fuel are used each year for every extra pound of passenger weight." [ed. - emphasis added]
DOH!!!
And what about the headlines of related interest? Compare:
Exxon posts $10.49 billion profit
OR
Exxon Forced to Accept Unnecessary Profits
By Decadent Overweight Drivers
I'm fascinated that Yahoo! believes that overweight drivers will be most motivated to lose weight in the hopes of preventing Exxon from making more profits. A more compelling spin might be to point out how oil profits assist terrorists. But then, consider this:
Y! Health: Eat more, weigh less?
OR
Heavy Groceries Defeat Hopes For Gas Savings
