News and Numbers
A guide to reporting statistics claims and controversies in health and other fields
By Victor Cohn and Lewis Cope
Number and statistics claims are involved in nearly everything that journalists report.
Science and medical issues, politics, business, crime analysis, sports- all demands numbers.
This book helps the reader answer three keys questions about all scientific studies, polls and other statistics claims: what can I believe? How can I explain it to others?
The rules of statistics are the rules of clear thinking, codified. They apply to any kind of reporting in which numbers-stated or implied-are involved: political reporting, science, economics, sports, or whatever. This manual explains the logic and language of statistics, so we reporter (and other people as well) can ask better questions and get better answers.
Because this book began as a project of the Harvard School of Public Health, the reporting of health is emphasized. But the principles, and many of the “questions you can ask,” can be used to assess claims and controversies in virtually any field. The final three chapters specifically show how.
