News, Numbers and Public Opinion in a Data-Driven World

Cover
Half-title
Title
Copyright
Contents
List of Contributors
Foreword
Introduction: Exciting Times In the Shadow of the ‘Post-Truth’ Era: News, Numbers and Public Opinion in a Data-Driven World
	Exciting times
	Numbers as a staple of modern life
	The age of dubious numbers and ‘statistical bullshit’
	The crucial but largely forfeited role of journalism
	This book’s intervention
	References
Section One: Data and Statistics in News Production
	1. Common Statistical Errors in the News: The Often-Unfulfilled Roles of Journalists in Statistics–Society Relationship
		Introduction
		Some common misuses of statistics in the media
		The three unfulfilled roles of journalists
		Concluding notes
		References
	2. More Light, Less Heat: Rethinking Impartiality in Light of a Review into the Reporting of Statistics in UK News Media
		Introduction
		Interpreting the quantitative supply of statistics in news reporting
		Everyday reporting of statistics in UK news media: An overview
		Case study 1: The UK Prime Minister’s claim about EU migrants claiming benefits
		Case study 2: Reporting changes to tax credits system
		Rethinking impartiality: Challenging statistical claims
		References
	3. Numbers That Kill: How Dubious Statistics Shaped News Reporting of the Drone War
		Introduction
		A history of violence
		How rituals of objectivity bias statistics in the media
		Drones and statistical misfi res in news coverage: A case study
		Limits of contrarianism
		References
	4. Poor Numbers, Poor News: The Ideology of Poverty Statistics in the Media
		Introduction
		The circular logic
		The definitional morass of who is poor
		Over-reliance on ‘official sources’
		Towards a conclusion
		References
	5. Statistics in Science Journalism: An Exploratory Study of Four Leading British and Brazilian Newspapers
		Introduction
		Journalistic deference to statistics
		Can science journalism be an exception?
		Our exploratory content analysis
		Concluding notes
		References
	6. Data Journalism at its Finest: A Longitudinal Analysis of the Characteristics of Award-Nominated Data Journalism Projects
		Introduction: Journalism’s response to the datafication of society
		What we (don’t) know about data journalism
		Our content analysis of DJA-nominated/awarded projects
		Findings
		Discussion: Retracing the development of DJA-nominated stories
		References
	7. Numbers Behind the News: Audience Metrics and the Changing Nature of Gatekeeping
		Introduction
		The powerless news audience in traditional gatekeeping
		The penetration of web metrics into the newsroom
		The many risks of metrics-driven audience agenda
		Beyond head counting: Harnessing the power of audience metrics
		References
Section Two: Data and Statistics in News Consumption
	8. The Power of Numbers, Reconsidered
		Introduction
		The power of numbers
		Psychic numbing and compassion fatigue
		Combining personifi cation with statistics: Nicholas Kristof’s approach to psychic numbing
		Numerically versus non-numerically based news: An experimental study on reader responses
		Conclusion: The quantitative paradox
		References
	9. Big Data, Little Insight: Anecdotal and Quantitative Descriptions of Threatening Trends and their Effects on News Consumers
		Introduction
		Anecdotal depictions of hazards and threats
		Quantitative depictions of threatening trends
		Individual and social consequences of statistical distortions
		Conclusion
		References
	10. Effects of Statistical Information in News Reports On Individuals’ Recall and Understanding of Events and Issues: Implications for Journalistic Practices
		Introduction
		Exemplification theory of media effects
		Presentation formats
		The role of arithmetic ability
		Implications for journalists and other public communicators
		References
	11. Numbers in the News: More Ethos Than Logos?
		Introduction
		How well do consumers process numbers in the news?
		Numbers and public perception of news issues
		Numbers as a rhetorical device
		Numbers and the perceived credibility of news
		Conclusion
		References
	12. Audience Uses and Evaluations of News Visualizations: When Does an Infographic say More than a Thousand Words?
		Introduction
		Visualizations in the news: An upcoming storytelling genre
		Methodology
		Results
		Concluding notes: Implications for news industries and journalism scholarship
		References
Section Three: Agenda for the Future
	13. Towards a Fruitful Relationship Between Statistics and the Media: One Statistician’s View
		Introduction
		If statistics are so boring, why are the news media so full of them?
		Statisticians and media processes
		The strange case of mobile phones and brain tumours
		How should the public read statistical news stories?
		Advice for statisticians on working with journalists
		References
	14. Mind The Statistics Gap: Science Journalism as a Bridge Between Data and Journalism
		Numbers and fi gures: News or just nice?
		Data and databases as ‘automatic news value generator’
		The limits: Daunting data and the statistical skills of everyday journalists
		Media sections of hope: Science and economy
		The common roots of data-driven journalism and science journalism
		Mainstream data journalism of today: Doing some statistics or just visualization?
		Towards a next generation data (analysis) journalism
		Conclusions and perspectives
		Acknowledgements
		References
	15. Teaching Statistical Reasoning (Or Not) in Journalism Education: Findings and Implications from Surveys with US J-Chairs
		Introduction
		Statistical reasoning
		Research questions
		Method
		Results
		Implications for the future of statistical reasoning in journalism curricula
		References
		Appendix
	16. Four Conceptual Lenses for Journalism Amidst Big Data: Towards an Emphasis on Epistemological Challenges
		Introduction
		The expertise, economics and ethics of big data and journalism
		The epistemology of big data and journalism: Current research
		The epistemology of big data and journalism: Directions for future research
		References
Index