So What's New?

By SOPHFRONIA SCOTT GREGORY

THE U.S. CENSUS BUREAU HAS BEEN QUITE SENSITIVE LATELY to the question of how it releases reports, even going so far as to downplay the release of potentially embarrassing data. So more than a few eyebrows rose when the bureau went out of its way to make news organizations aware of some fresh statistics that could prove embarrassing to Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton. Census officials faxed to reporters rankings of states and their various measures of social and economic well-being, in which Arkansas ranked poorly. The bureau denies any political motives. It's not as if the information was surprising: Arkansas has long been near the bottom of the economic rankings.