Howard Kurtz on counting the crowd

[Oeditpus Rex]

When I covered the Peter Jennings memorial last week, I tried to estimate how many people were packed inside Carnegie Hall, scanning the audience row by row, section by section. I came up with about 700 or 800.

The actual number, ABC told me later, was around 2,200.

My point is that doing crowd estimates isn't easy, and is far harder at a big, sprawling street demonstration spread over a large area. Since organizers almost always inflate their estimates, the only semi-reliable ones come from police who study aerial photographs.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2005/09/27/BL2005092700516.html

[tularetom]

1. He would't have any trouble counting the crowd

at the "support the troops" rally. Count the number of porta potties and divide by 10.

[papau]

2. First Kurtz column in 5 years that wasn't total buushit - Has Howie been

freed?

:toast:

:-)

[cybildisobedience]

8. No, he hasn't

Read on - it's one GOP talking point after another. Heaven forbid Howie applies effort, critical thinking skills or objectivity to one of his cut and paste "columns."

[wtbymark]

3. The police reported "at least a 100,000"

[zbdent]

4. Most freeper rallies are grossly inflated

because many of them can't count too high without getting naked . . .

[DS1]

5. Hey Baby! My Rally goes to Eleven

[zbdent]

6. I hear that females have a numerical advantage

well, after a few years . . .

[DS1]

7. Odd reason to have kids

:evilgrin: