Crime taxonomy · Words and context

Misleading title, labels or annotation

A title or annotation that says something the data does not.

What it looks like

The headline contradicts or overstates the chart, series are mislabelled, legends swapped, or units are wrong or missing.

Example

Example (Misleading title, labels or annotation): "Surging" on top of a line that fell 6% in five years, with no units. — The crime. "Surging" on top of a line that fell 6% in five years, with no units.

The same data shown honestly: The title states what the data shows, and the axis says what is being counted. — The fix. The title states what the data shows, and the axis says what is being counted.

Why it is bad

The title is read first and frames everything else. Many readers never check it against the data.
It is the cheapest manipulation: the chart can be flawless while the words do the lying.
AI-generated captions are especially prone to confident overstatement.

How to fix it

Write titles that state the finding the data supports, with the size of the change.
Check every label, legend entry and unit against the source.
Prefer "rose 3%" over "soared": let the number carry the weight.

When it is not a crime. Opinionated titles are fine when the data backs them up. "Crime fell sharply" over a 40% drop is accurate.