Estimating the number of homeless: Media misrepresentation of an urban problem

In the 1980s several estimates were made off the size of the homeless population nationwide. An examination of these estimates shows that claims by advocacy groups that 2-3 million persons were homeless on arty night were unjustified. Instead social scientific studies agree that the number is probably about 300,000-500,000. This discrepancy tests the ability of the media to distinguish between good social science research and were guesstimates. An examination of US magazines and newspapers found that, as a group, the media were more likely to cite high estimates than low estimates and this changed only slightly over time. Two factors seem to explain why journalists cannot distinguish between good and bad estimates: media bias and the process whereby information is gathered.