Figures don’t lie, but liars do figures: Memphis and the cost of narrative without numbers

By: Rev. Earle Fisher

Outlets: Tennessee Lookout

Published: April 20, 2026

Words: 976

Last Updated: 2 months, 2 weeks ago

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“Figures don’t lie, but liars do figures.”

The old adage feels painfully contemporary in Memphis. Because in this moment, we are not suffering from a lack of data. We are suffering from the misuse of it and a lack of critical thinking

Numbers are being presented without context. Data is being deployed without discipline. And narratives are being constructed in ways that make the numbers serve the story rather than the story submitting to the …

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