8/4/2023 0 Comments Percent differenceThe Poynter Institute offers the “Math for Journalists Certificate,” a four-hour, online course that costs $29.95. Journalism and higher education organizations offer a variety of online courses, in-person trainings and other resources to help reporters and editors brush up on their math skills and build new ones. A firm understanding of key math concepts helps journalists spot misinformation and math errors. If your math skills need sharpening, get training. “I always just advise people to keep it in as simple terms as possible,” LaFleur says.Ĥ. Because it’s less common to say a number rose by 100%, 200% or more, some people may need to stop and do some math to figure out what that means. Many people will immediately know what you mean when you say a number doubled, tripled or grew four-fold. LaFleur suggests replacing some numbers with words to help audiences grasp information quickly. Reynolds Center for Business Journalism recommend no more than three numbers per paragraph. Both the Poynter Institute and the Donald W. īecause number-heavy stories can confuse and overwhelm audiences - and some people avoid them - choose carefully which numbers you want to highlight. For instance, instead of reporting that tuition at a local college increased 100%, say it doubled. When covering a story based heavily on numbers, look for ways to eliminate some numbers without sacrificing meaning or context. “A reporter might have done it for years and not realized what they were saying is wrong.”ģ. “Part of the problem is, oftentimes, there’s not someone in the newsroom who’s spotting ,” she explains. In this scenario, the diagnosis rate jumped 400%, or five-fold.īecause this type of error is common, LaFleur encourages journalists to double check percentage-change figures in government reports and other documents - including news stories from journalists at the same news outlet. If a local county health department reports that its percentage of children diagnosed with autism increased from 1% in 1981 to 5% in 2021, it’s accurate to say the diagnosis rate rose 4 percentage points over that period. “If you’re comparing two percentages, it’s percentage points,” says LaFleur. When you add or subtract percentages - for example, when you subtract the percentage of children diagnosed with autism in 1981 from the percentage diagnosed in 2021 - describe the result using percentage points. Be extra cautious when comparing percentages because this is where many people make mistakes. It’s worth noting that Associated Press style calls for using the symbol for “percent” in news stories but writing out “percentage point.”Ģ. For instance, there’s a 27 percentage-point difference between 17% and 44%. When comparing percentages, use “percentage points” to describe the difference between them. While you can do the math yourself with these step-by-step instructions, it’s easy to find a percentage change calculator online. This year, they budgeted $38 million.īased on that information, we can say funding for the traffic safety program increased almost 27% from 2021 to 2022. We use “percent” to describe how much a number has changed in relation to a previous number.Īs an example, let’s say state legislators set aside $30 million to fund a new traffic safety program in 2021. Use “percentage point” to indicate the amount of the change. Keep in mind the “percent change” is the rate of change. Together, we came up with four tips to help journalists master these key mathematical concepts.ġ. That’s why we created this tip sheet, with LaFleur’s help. She also teaches data journalism at American University. “Percentage change and percentage-point change get mixed up all the time,” says Jennifer LaFleur, a senior editor at The Center for Public Integrity who has taught classes and workshops on using statistics in news stories for more than a decade. Before you can do that, though, you need to know the difference between “percent change” and “percentage-point change.” When you’re reporting on changes in numbers such as state funding, crime rates and opinion poll results, it’s important to tell audiences how much a number has risen or fallen over time. OctoPercent change versus percentage-point change: What’s the difference? 4 tips for avoiding math errorsīy Denise-Marie Ordway, The Journalist's Resource October 5, 2022 Percent change versus percentage-point change: What’s the difference? 4 tips for avoiding math errorsīy Denise-Marie Ordway, The Journalist's Resource
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