Define ‘spin’

Both of the following statements are true:

• 2008 was the coldest year of the century

• 2008 was the tenth hottest year on record

Depending on your journalistic bias, you go with the first and get a headline like ‘Climate change questioned after 2008 tipped to be the coolest year of the century‘, and get lots of links from climate sceptic blogs. Or you go for 2008 ‘the tenth hottest year ever‘ and get all the links from the environmental sites. Both are reporting the same fact.

Just a reminder to read the newspapers with your head on.

(If you’re still wondering how both statements can be true, bear in mind that it says ‘of the century’, not ‘for a century’ – this century is only 8 years old.)