By the Numbers

Chapter 12JOURN 305

Numbers Tell the Story

“Borat” opened in only 837 theaters and made $26.4 million

– Less than one-fourth of distribution of the number two film

Number two picture “Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause” opened wider in 3,456 theaters and made only $20 million

Misleading Numbers

Be careful in how you report numbers They can mislead if taken out of context

Example

The “number one movie” for the week ending Feb. 25, 2005 was “Downfall”

Sounds like a big hit…but it only grossed $18,195 compared to the $31 million earned by Will Smith’s “Hitch”

So how is the indie arthouse film “Downfall” labeled the “number one” movie?

Example

“Downfall” was only playing in one theater but it’s “per theater average” is higher than any other film playing– “Hitch” averaged $8,771 per theater compared to

the $18,195 per theater gross netted by “Downfall”

– But “Hitch” played in 3,575 theaters compared to the single theater playing “Downfall”

The Value of Numbers

Journalistic integrity is under fire To build credibility, use legitimate statistics

that can stand the test of heavy scrutiny– Use reputable sources– Double check the accuracy

Guidelines

Cite sources for statistics Long lists of numbers are difficult for readers

to plow through so use a table or graphic, if possible

Round off large numbers– $1,489,789 becomes $1.5 million

Guidelines

If you use math to calculate numbers, make sure that you double-check your numbers

If you get confused by the meaning of numbers, get an expert to help you make sense of it

AP Style Review

Spell out numerals at the beginning of a sentence (except for calendar years)

Spell out numbers from one to nine, except:– Age– Street addresses with house numbers

AP Style Review

When writing dollar figures, use the following:– Under a dollar, use cents

Example: 45 cents

– Over a dollar, use the dollar sign Example: $1.45

AP Style Review

If the number is above 999,999, use the words “million,” “billion,” etc.

Fractions: Spell out numbers less than one– Example: “one-fifth,” “two-thirds”

Percentages: Use figures– Example: 1 percent, 2.5 percent– If less than 1 percent, precede decimal with a

zero Example: 0.6 percent

Proportion

A number may be meaningless without context

Example: – WSU gets an extra $250 million in funding

through a bond…this is huge given the proportion it represents in its total operating budget

– However, at UCLA this might not be considered as huge a figure since its operating budget is much bigger

Percentages

Percentages help the reader understand the number in the context of the bigger phenomena

Percentages

Percentages are frequently used to identify the proportion

Real examples from a California community college:– 59% of students are female– 24% are Hispanic– 70% are daytime students– 10% carry 15 or more units per semester

Beware of Misleading Numbers

Numbers can be used to build your story credibility – but they can also deceive or only tell part of the story

Always be aware of the total population from which the percentage was pulled

Percentage Reporting

Does use of a percentage truly represent the full picture of the phenomena you are reporting?

Misleading Percentages

Example:– A claim that a product

has 100% success rate in clearing up acne

– If the total population is one person, the claim is basically irrelevant

Dig Deeper: Questions to Ask

Ask for clarification on the definition of the total population– Get clarification on the parameters of the sample

population from which the percentage statistic was taken

Ask WHEN the data was taken Does the percentage represent a total count

of the population or an estimate based on sample methodology?

Example of Misleading Numbers

Numbers can (and often are) used to manipulate perception

For example: A recent story reported that the median of player salaries on a football team is $150,000 per season

– BUT this does not tell you the whole story

Misleading Medians

Salaries are: $100,000, $100,000, $150,000,

$150,000, $1 million, $1 million, and $1.5 million

If you report that the median salary of a NFL team member is $150,000 then you are omitting an important detail – that many players are pulling down seven figure salaries

Consumer Price Index

You may need to adjust some numbers for inflation

Use the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a tool that you can use to figure out the adjusted constant dollars

The information in the CPI comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and is available online at http://www.bls.gov/cpi/home.htm

Fiscal vs. Calendar

A fiscal year may not be the same as the calendar year– It shows the organization’s financial status from a

set date to a set date

A calendar year is Jan. 1 – Dec. 31

Polls

It is unlikely that you will be able to question every single person, so a poll is used to get an accurate sample of a larger population

It is understood that all surveys have a margin of error

Polls

When you use poll data, you may need to disclose the following:– The sponsor of the poll– Exact wording of the questions asked– Definition of the population sampled– Sample size and/or response rate– Sampling error– Date of the poll– Methodology

Problems with Polls

The sample must be selected in a truly random fashion for it to accurately reflect the wider population

Beware of polls that claim to measure opinions on sensitive, complex issues

Many organizations publicize polls because they have a political or social agenda (or product to promote)