The following is a memorandum from the business manager of WLSS television station.
"Over the past year, our late-night news program has devoted increasingly more time to covering national news and less time to covering weather and local news. During the same time period, most of the complaints we received from viewers were concerned with the station's coverage of weather and local news. In addition, several local businesses that used to run advertisements during our late-night news program have just cancelled their advertising contracts with us. Therefore, in order to attract more viewers to our news programs and to avoid losing any further advertising revenues, we should expand the coverage of weather and local news on all our news programs."
The author of the memorandum has assumed that since there is a correlation between complaints regarding the station's coverage of weather and news, and a cancelation of advertisments from local businesses, there is a causal effect between the two. This is not true. Association claims, providing as they may be, are not as strong as a causal relationship. In order to have a causal relationship a few factors must be tried prior to assuming that there is a link between the two variables-- that is, in this case, complaints/ cancellation of air time and the addition of national news.
Firstly, as a reader we need to determine whether the complaints were arriving due to the lack of coverage of local news and weather, or because of the amount of coverage of national news.We also need to investigate whether or not there were other complaints being recieved-- pertaining to different topics-- as well as the quantity of complaints recieved. Assuming that there were only a paucal of complaints recieved by the news station, it would be illogical to simply restore the time devoted to the local news and weather. The number of complaints, that is, the sample size, might not be an accurate representaion of the given population. The news station would need to determine whether there is a general sense of unhappiness regarding the addition of national news coverage perhaps by asking a larger sample size-- using methodologies such as surveys or interviews.
Before assuming causality over the situation, and restoring the time devoted to the weather and news, the news station should determine whether in fact there is internal validity, or in other words, whether a manipulation (addidtion of national news) is in fact causing local businesses to cancel their subscriptions on air time. Local businesses might be cancelling their air time due to another radio station being able to offer them a better time slot for a better price. We as the reader simply do not know, and are therefore unable to make a logical decision based on these facts.
As well, we are not aware of the amount of air time that has been dedicated towards the national news. In order to make a sound and valid conclusion as to whether restore the time devoted to the local news and weather, we need to have all of the facts pertaining to the matter. Perhaps the news station now only has a focus on national news and does not discuss the local matters. In that case, they should try to create a balance between the two. However, perhaps they only have devoted a small portion of their air time towards national news, but it happens to fall at a time in the day where listeners would prefer hearing music, talk shows, or local news and weather. By gathering more evidence, the local news station will be able to create a more sound and accurate decision.
In conclusion, there are many different factors that need to be investigated prior to jumping to rash conclusions and restoring the time devoted to local news and weather. The news station needs to determine if the addition of national news if causing businesses to cancel their air time, and whether the complaints are of a statistically significant value.
Grammar and spelling errors:
Line 1, column 109, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[1]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'stations'' or 'station's'?
Suggestion: stations'; station's
...lation between complaints regarding the stations coverage of weather and news, and a can...
^^^^^^^^
Line 3, column 189, Rule ID: SENTENCE_WHITESPACE
Message: Add a space between sentences
Suggestion: We
...the amount of coverage of national news.We also need to investigate whether or not...
^^
Line 3, column 217, Rule ID: WHETHER[7]
Message: Perhaps you can shorten this phrase to just 'whether'. It is correct though if you mean 'regardless of whether'.
Suggestion: whether
...tional news.We also need to investigate whether or not there were other complaints being recie...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Line 7, column 150, Rule ID: WHETHER[6]
Message: Can you shorten this phrase to just 'whether', or rephrase the sentence to avoid "as to"?
Suggestion: whether
...er to make a sound and valid conclusion as to whether restore the time devoted to the local n...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Line 7, column 236, Rule ID: ALL_OF_THE[1]
Message: Simply use 'all the'.
Suggestion: all the
...local news and weather, we need to have all of the facts pertaining to the matter. Perhaps...
^^^^^^^^^^
Line 9, column 26, Rule ID: NUMEROUS_DIFFERENT[1]
Message: Use simply 'many'.
Suggestion: many
... decision. In conclusion, there are many different factors that need to be investigated pr...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Line 9, column 359, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
...e of a statistically significant value.
^^^
Transition Words or Phrases used:
also, but, first, firstly, however, if, may, regarding, so, therefore, well, as to, in conclusion, in fact, such as, as well as, in other words
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 27.0 19.6327345309 138% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 15.0 12.9520958084 116% => OK
Conjunction : 22.0 11.1786427146 197% => OK
Relative clauses : 9.0 13.6137724551 66% => OK
Pronoun: 26.0 28.8173652695 90% => OK
Preposition: 77.0 55.5748502994 139% => OK
Nominalization: 21.0 16.3942115768 128% => OK
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 2655.0 2260.96107784 117% => OK
No of words: 545.0 441.139720559 124% => OK
Chars per words: 4.87155963303 5.12650576532 95% => OK
Fourth root words length: 4.83169070408 4.56307096286 106% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.74740605793 2.78398813304 99% => OK
Unique words: 217.0 204.123752495 106% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.398165137615 0.468620217663 85% => More unique words wanted or less content wanted.
syllable_count: 838.8 705.55239521 119% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.5 1.59920159681 94% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 8.0 4.96107784431 161% => Less pronouns wanted as sentence beginning.
Interrogative: 0.0 0.471057884232 0% => OK
Article: 7.0 8.76447105788 80% => OK
Subordination: 3.0 2.70958083832 111% => OK
Conjunction: 8.0 1.67365269461 478% => Less conjunction wanted as sentence beginning.
Preposition: 7.0 4.22255489022 166% => OK
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 19.0 19.7664670659 96% => OK
Sentence length: 28.0 22.8473053892 123% => OK
Sentence length SD: 84.5224158503 57.8364921388 146% => OK
Chars per sentence: 139.736842105 119.503703932 117% => OK
Words per sentence: 28.6842105263 23.324526521 123% => OK
Discourse Markers: 7.52631578947 5.70786347227 132% => OK
Paragraphs: 5.0 5.15768463074 97% => OK
Language errors: 7.0 5.25449101796 133% => OK
Sentences with positive sentiment : 10.0 8.20758483034 122% => OK
Sentences with negative sentiment : 7.0 6.88822355289 102% => OK
Sentences with neutral sentiment: 2.0 4.67664670659 43% => OK
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?
Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.355316320579 0.218282227539 163% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.136391610701 0.0743258471296 184% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.0948695625025 0.0701772020484 135% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.244586778584 0.128457276422 190% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.0662301872716 0.0628817314937 105% => OK
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 15.8 14.3799401198 110% => OK
flesch_reading_ease: 51.52 48.3550499002 107% => OK
smog_index: 8.8 7.1628742515 123% => OK
flesch_kincaid_grade: 13.0 12.197005988 107% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 11.56 12.5979740519 92% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 7.92 8.32208582834 95% => OK
difficult_words: 100.0 98.500998004 102% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 15.0 12.3882235529 121% => OK
gunning_fog: 13.2 11.1389221557 119% => OK
text_standard: 13.0 11.9071856287 109% => OK
What are above readability scores?
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Rates: 66.67 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 4.0 Out of 6 -- The score is based on the average performance of 20,000 argument essays. This e-grader is not smart enough to check on arguments.
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Note: the e-grader does NOT examine the meaning of words and ideas. VIP users will receive further evaluations by advanced module of e-grader and human graders.