Mastering math by Ron Nixon
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Transcript of Mastering math by Ron Nixon
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Do the Math: A Basic guide for using numbers in stories
Adopted from former IRE training DirectorDavid Donald with additions by Ron Nixon
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The Truth About Numbers!
• Figures don’t lie, but liars figure—Mark Twain.
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Innumeracy
• No math required by my j-school.
• Math ignorance as badge of honor.
• We’ve got our nerd.
• My source will give me the numbers we need.
• Numbers are hard, solid, cold facts.
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Numeracy
• Numbers are a summary of the real world.
• Many numbers often are a guess.
• Many numbers often are an opinion.
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“Building a Sense of Scale”
• Population of City, County, State and Country
• Average Household Income
• Size of the U.S. Economy
• City, County and State Budget
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Numbers v. words• No more than two or three numbers in a
paragraph.
• No more than one, maybe two, paragraphs in a row with numbers.
• Dates, time, spelled-out numbers count.
• Memorize common numbers on your beat. Think is this number up or down, big or small.
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Numbers v. words
• Round off – and then maybe round off some more.
• Learn to convert to simple ratios to keep your numbers small.
• Always double-check your math answers. No, better triple-check.
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Use Devices from Everyday Life
• “About the size of a football field”
• “The equivalent of pouring a teaspoon of water in a lake.”
• “Three times as high as …….”
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Numbers v. words
• The editor’s question – Does this number make sense?
• So … When all the above fails, numbers belong in graphics – bar charts, tables and – at last resort – a bulleted break-out box.
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Graphics• Take your graphic artist or graphic reporter
to lunch.
• Do your calculations and bar charts in Excel, then export to Adobe Illustrator or Freehand.
• Learn some principles of good graphics to have quality conversations with your graphic folks.
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Resources
• Google “misleading graphs” http://www.google.com
• Get, read, study, live with Edward Tufte’s The Visual Display of Quantitative Information
http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/
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More Resources• Damned Lies and Statistics—Joel Best• A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper—
John Allen Paulos• 200% Of Nothing A.K. Dewdney• Inumeracy—John Allen Paulos• Math Tools for Journalist—Kathleen Woodruff
Wickham• How to Lie With Statistics—Darrell Huff
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Finally …
• Essential: Sarah Cohen’s Numbers in the Newsroom http://www.ire.org/store/books/math.html