If there are lost keys everywhere you will actually find some looking under the streetlight. Honest statistical reports may even be written highlighting the frequency of lost-key-findings under streetlights. Credulous readers might begin to suggest that some innate factor of the pooling of their light causes keys to fall exactly within boundaries of their illumination. They might even prefer elected representatives that propose streetlight removal policies, to reduce the scourge of lost keys.
“Never trust a statistic you haven't faked yourself”. Of course “faked” is deliberately overblown, but just the way you collect your data could already amount to a “fake”, even if it wasn't deliberate. So those statistics mentioned by GP could be honest as far as intentions are concerned. It would merely be incompetence.
