Along with two other programs (Life-Saving Tips for Deadline Reporting and Conflict Reporting), I had the privilege of sharing "Go Figure: Making Numbers Count" with reporters and editors a few days ago, at the New York Press Association's annual convention in Saratoga Springs.
It's the third time I've trekked from Chicago to address the association, and as I do during every Go Figure session, I took the time to rail against the vague use of "several" in communication.
Below are two excerpts from my presentation, graciously filmed by Jeremy Bailey.
This first video shows the variety of numbers that people think of when asked how much or how many exactly is "several":
And this video shows me touching on the POOTA (Plucked Out of Thin Air) Phenomenon, in which sources serve up numbers without offering any substantiation as to how they came by those numbers. Obviously, as I note, it's imperative that reporters insist on proof behind the data:
Showing posts with label Go Figure numeracy statistics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Go Figure numeracy statistics. Show all posts
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Go Figure Goes To Medill
A few days ago, I had the good fortune of speaking at my alma mater for the third time since last autumn.
At the invitation of Ceci Rodgers, adjunct professor of economics and business reporting, I spoke to a "Journalism By the Numbers" class for grad students at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.
Adapted from my seven-year-old workshop, Go Figure: Making Numbers Count, the point that I drive home more than any other is the importance of using numbers in context.
All too often, the stories we tell are loaded with stats in a vacuum--leaving the reader to guess as to their significance. Instead, as story-tellers, whether journalist, publicist or any other role, we need to take the time to truly understand the relevance of a given number and then communicate it clearly to our audience.
For more Go Figure tips, go to this page on the Inside Edge PR website and click on Journalism Tips & Training Columns.
What about you--what irks you most about how the media uses (and misuses) numbers?
At the invitation of Ceci Rodgers, adjunct professor of economics and business reporting, I spoke to a "Journalism By the Numbers" class for grad students at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.
Adapted from my seven-year-old workshop, Go Figure: Making Numbers Count, the point that I drive home more than any other is the importance of using numbers in context.
All too often, the stories we tell are loaded with stats in a vacuum--leaving the reader to guess as to their significance. Instead, as story-tellers, whether journalist, publicist or any other role, we need to take the time to truly understand the relevance of a given number and then communicate it clearly to our audience.
For more Go Figure tips, go to this page on the Inside Edge PR website and click on Journalism Tips & Training Columns.
What about you--what irks you most about how the media uses (and misuses) numbers?
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