A number without its context can make a narrow truth sound much larger.

Numbers arrive stripped of the things that make them mean anything. A doubling sounds alarming until you learn what it doubled from; a large total sounds impressive until you ask over how many years and out of how many people. Nothing has to be false for the impression to be wrong, which is why it happens in honest hands too.

When a figure lands, ask two questions before you react: out of what, and compared with what. If those answers are missing, treat the claim as unfinished rather than as strong. And when you quote a number, carry its denominator with it, even if the sentence gets duller.