Keywords
quantitative literacy, journalism, news reporting, elections, health reporting, numeracy
Abstract
Although research into the relationship between quantitative literacy (QL) and news reporting is sparse, the consensus among researchers is that journalists tend not to place QL very highly among their professional values and that journalism suffers as a consequence. This paper is an attempt to provide concrete examples of the ways in which news reports systemically misinterpret, misrepresent, or misuse numerical data as part of the reporting process. Drawing on scenarios ranging from elections and healthcare to the mundane world of food preparation, it shows how a lack of rigour in the fields of reporting and news production can lead to a diminution in the quality of journalism presented to the public. It is argued that while the effect of this can sometimes be trivial, on occasion it is literally a matter of life and death.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5038/1936-4660.14.2.1371
Recommended Citation
Harrison, Steven. "Journalism and Numeracy in Context: Four Case Studies." Numeracy 14, Iss. 2 (2021): Article 2. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5038/1936-4660.14.2.1371
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
