Don’t know much about algebra: Basic math in stories David Donald Training Director IRE and NICAR Western Knight Center, April 23, 2005

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.

Numeracy  Numbers are a summary of the real world.  Many numbers often are a guess.  Many numbers often are an opinion.

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.

Numbers v. words  Round off – and then maybe round off so more.  Learn to convert to simple ratios to keep your numbers small.  Always double-check your math answers. No, better triple-check.

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.

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.

Resources  Google “misleading graphs”  Get, read, study, live with Edward Tufte’s The Visual Display of Quantitative Information

Finally …  Essential: Sarah Cohen’s Numbers in the Newsroom