By Phil Riske | Senior Reporter/Writer
n the heels of a backlash from a survey stating Glendale and Tempe are among the 10 most dangerous suburbs, comes another survey finding Arizona is among “normal” states.
Nerdwallet, a financial research company, and Movoto, a real estate-oriented service, are the two recent sources of such information as “10 Things Only People From Nebraska Understand” and “Highest Earning Cities.” Their research provides interesting and valuable comparisons among cities and towns regarding everything from which are the most safe to most appealing to millenniums.
Here’s the problem: Such surveys — because they get nationwide publicity that probably equates to profit — are bound to lead to more questionable reports, such as the “danger” in Glendale-Tempe and to even more bogus stories.
How about which city has the most banana peels in its parks? Or the most popular sewer for New York rats.
Journalism professors and grammarians teach the term “according to” is a disclaimer and should be used only when something could be questioned as to its source. Example: According to Nerds.com, most Arizonans are scared of horses.
Some well-known surveys, such as WalletHub, do credible research that yields valuable information, but it’s time to stop the silly surveys, according to Rose Law Group Reporter.
