Never underestimate the value of a compact guide to math, especially if you’re one of those journalists who thought you could avoid numbers by becoming a writer. You shouldn’t — understanding numbers will help you get stories others miss because of innumeracy.
One of the handiest resources I’ve found — and recommended just this week to a roomful of colleagues — is Sarah Cohen’s “Numbers in the Newsroom.” It’s a 108-page guide that covers the basics on percent change, rates, graphics, probability and much more. Cohen is a Pulitzer-winning former Washington Post staffer and one-time training director for Investigative Reporters and Editors. She’s now at Duke University, where she is the Knight Professor of the Practice of Journalism and Public Policy.
The book is a few years old, but its lessons are timeless. You can pick it up through IRE’s online store.
Have your own math book recommendations? List them below …
Filed under: Analysis by Anthony on Nov 14, 2009
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This morning, my colleagues and I at USA TODAY launch part one of a three-day series on NCAA football coaches contracts. The centerpiece is a database analysis by my teammate Jodi Upton, who worked with the sports staff to collect and analyze hundreds of documents. My contribution is the database programming behind our interactive graphic.
Among the key findings, straight from today’s lead story:
– At least 25 college head football coaches are making $2 million or more this season, slightly more than double the number two years ago.
– The average pay for a head coach in the NCAA’s top-level, 120-school Football Bowl Subdivision is up 28% in that time and up 46% in three years, to $1.36 million.
– Our first look at the salaries of assistant coaches finds many approaching and even exceeding presidents’ compensation and most eclipsing that of full professors.
Filed under: Analysis by Anthony on Nov 10, 2009
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When I was an assistant city editor, a buddy and I kept a list of redundant phrases that we had excised from the stories we rush-edited each night. It held more than a few classics. The best, I think, was “a three-part trio,” which one hapless scribe attempted to get past us. No luck.
Redundancies range from the dumb — “the robber ran off on foot” — to the careless. “Joined together with” is more effectively rendered as “joined.” A “brief moment” is just a “moment,” right?
Economical use of words separates solid writers from wannabes. (Another is the ability to discern between “its” and “it’s,” but that’s another post.) If you want your writing to be crisp and fitting for this day of 140-character limits and brief attention spans, cut what you don’t need.
For ideas on where to trim, check this list, and this one.
Filed under: Writing by Anthony on Nov 6, 2009
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