Thank you to everyone for your comments. My personal take on this is that it is the nature of data. It is not exactly about 'manipulation' as much as it is about understanding perspectives of data change with how you choose to view it. A balanced data analyst will dare to present multiple views and add the clause that the truth depends on perspective. It can be used for manipulative reasons without a doubt and it often is. But it is really not about statistics lying or manipulation - it is about understanding the complexitites of data analysis and to be sure we look at it from many angles before arriving at one solid conclusion.