19 really bad graphs and charts that should never have made it to publication
A well-made graph or chart can be a thing of beauty, conveying complex messages in an easy-to-understand way. On the other hand, a badly made graph or chart can look terrible, skew the information and, frankly, tell downright lies.
Lecturer Mike Fix was looking for examples of the latter category.
Please share your favorite examples of absolutely terrible graphs/figures (misleading, confusing, aesthetically abhorrent, etc).
Need examples for a class lecture.
— Mike Fix (@mpfix1) August 26, 2024
People were only too happy to oblige, and we hope his students appreciate these as much as we did.
1.
All-timer https://t.co/sogx0D0DsZ pic.twitter.com/NVddY5Hlac
— Nick ✨ (@slothropsmap) August 27, 2024
2.
https://t.co/as4CurXDpA pic.twitter.com/m8YFg8fHNP
— Keir (@Kingkeir) August 28, 2024
3.
David Zaslav with the dumbest PowerPoint slide of all time https://t.co/qjgT7I70sV pic.twitter.com/WdzGptPIME
— Soham (@SohamGadre) August 28, 2024
4.
Nothing will ever beat this piece of incompressible art https://t.co/mqpwyN0nhJ pic.twitter.com/nWVU2JqRkm
— Dr. Frizzle (@Swilua) August 28, 2024
5.
This one has always stuck in my mind https://t.co/ryYPkdDupF pic.twitter.com/SiimyW0z1g
— Ennis Be Strong! (@bizarrequazar) August 28, 2024
6.
https://t.co/QNQetBPZ1J pic.twitter.com/QvH3QtWGcP
— Aria ☄️ (@AriaEbenfalls) August 27, 2024
7.
https://t.co/RxM4GBNN8x pic.twitter.com/36Nj5b5YlC
— mitch said (@said_mitch) August 27, 2024
8.
This is my favorite graph of all time https://t.co/cDMQBamckg pic.twitter.com/EWRSdLbB3O
— Basil☀️ (@LinkofSunshine) August 27, 2024
9.
https://t.co/EPcPV4qPXX pic.twitter.com/ktWNaPyF2W
— rivers (@emptyrivers) August 27, 2024
10.
This very proportional bar chart found in the DC metro! https://t.co/HAWXGYxQIp pic.twitter.com/s55vEWMfRF
— Leah Hartung (@Leahkhartung) August 27, 2024