|
- When
Numbers Lie Figures don't lie, goes the adage, but liars
can figure. Which is precisely why we need to be a lot more skeptical
of the numbers we publish... Especially numbers that supposedly
measure things such as nutrition, environmental hazards and health
risks, says Jack
Hart.
- News
by the Number Most
journalists aren't good with numbers. But that doesn't relieve
us of any journalistic obligation. Numbers are critical to public
policy-making, and if we don't do a good job reporting them, we
abdicate a large part of our watchdog role. Jack
Hart offers some general principles that should help you.
- The
Numbers Crunch These days lots of our sources grind out
prodigious quantities of numbers. But the numbers themselves seldom
mean much. Interpreting them to find the news is our responsibility.
Jack Hart looks
at examples where reporters failed to do that.
- A
Little Math Lesson for Newsies Much of what we report
is based on numbers. Unfortunately we don't always get it right.
Jack Hart shares
some examples.
- A
Healthy Skepticism We should always be skeptical of unquestioned
claims. And avoid passing them along without correction, even
in direct quotes, says Jack
Hart.
- The
Perils of Polling Survey research is a big deal these
days. It influences elections, helps determine government policy
and shapes our view of the world. The volume just keeps growing.
It follows that we should be as savvy and skeptical of survey
research as we are of more traditional news sources, says Jack
Hart.
- Full
Disclosure on Polls The National Committee on Published
Polls has compiled this checklist, which specifies the minimum
amount of information that a newspaper report on a poll or survey
should contain. Submitted by Jack
Hart.
- How
Polls Work Even politically sophisticated journalists
sometimes have a hard time understanding how a couple of thousand
individuals can accurately represent the entire U.S. population.
But they can, so long as the pollster draws a good sample. Jack
Hart explains.
- Thinking
versus Doing One of the things we do when reporting polls
and surveys is letting folks know which way the wind is blowing.
But we sometimes overlook the value of survey research as a tool
for other things, says Jack
Hart.
- Newspaper
math Overcome your love-hate relationship with
numbers and become more comfortable using them in your articles
or editing them when they come across the desk. In this Powerpoint
presentation and the accompanying cheat sheets (below), Joe
Grimm, tells you how to take the numb out of numbers.
- Figuring
percentage change How to get the percentage change. Joe
Grimm's cheat sheets accompanying the above Powerpoint presentation.
|
Page
last updated:
September 2, 2002
|
|
