Opinion is not fact
Anecdote is not evidence
Neither gossip nor rumours are news
Innuendo is not insight
A theory is just that until it has been proven
A hunch is not a policy
Politicians, commentators, journalists, columnists and gurus sometimes need to remember this.
Rant over.
Talent Trends & Insights 
You say anecdote is not evidence – I disagree. Supposing a company shares its customer sat figures and they indicate all is well, yet the three friends I know well who use that company have all had crap experiences. Where does that leave me? I’ll choose anecdote in this instance thanks. I think stories, anecdotes if you will, can make much more powerful arguments than bare, boring facts.
Sod what I think, here’s Dilbert’s take on the matter:
http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2012-10-07/
And along similar lines of trust your gut not the data, maybe try Malcolm Gladwell’s book, Blink.
Cheers – D
Thanks for commenting Doug. I guess that I was thinking more from the angle of politics, mainstream media and broadcast, and the anecdote reference was of the FlipChartFT ‘I Met a Man’ variety (http://flipchartfairytales.wordpress.com/2011/06/16/i-met-a-man/). I was moved to finally put finger to keyboard on thoughts I had voiced before by a particularly ill informed TV debate that I was watching and also by some pronouncements from MPs on both sides.
You make an interesting point about the personal nature of anecdote which is, of course, very important to the experience economy and daily personal interactions with brands, and on a smaller scale than I had in mind.