Though an uncommon lie, it is usually "The facts don't lie", which is true and a different concept - Edit 1
Before modification by Isaac at 25/01/2013 05:57:50 AM
Correlation does not prove causation.
The deliberate, intentional distortion or misreporting of a fact is practically the definition of "Lying", so if you know someone going around saying that you might want to skip the philosophy and ask them if they actually believe it is impossible for someone to say "2 + 2 = 5". The statement is as basic and trivial as saying "Water is Wet". What people say, in my experience, is that the facts don't lie, and a fact can't lie what with it not being a sentient thing capable of intentional deception. When people occasionally say otherwise, they're not actually trying to convince anyone that a fact has lied, but rather that the a set of facts on observation might be abnormally likely to convey a false conclusion, like walking in to a room where a someone is screaming and another person is holding a chainsaw, and you think a murder is taking place but you're on the set of a horror movie. The facts didn't lie, you just drew an incorrect conclusion.