Of course the part I gravitated to in the reading was the discussion of the transcript from when Jon Stewart was a guest on Crossfire. I think this exemplifies the news in a meta way; Jon Stewart - a news host himself - was compelled to chastise a program for not really delivering the news. I liked the idea that Stewart could be a watchdog as well, and he upholds the importance of journalism.
In News Reporting and Writing, I was interested in the chapter on reporting with numbers. I find myself guilty of trying to use too many numbers in any story. The idea that numbers can be misused and make things unclear is the exact opposite of their purpose. Even though numbers always seem like hard facts, they can be skewed based on context and made to make a point that isn't necessarily for the purpose that they were collected.
I also frequently find myself attempting to use too many numbers. When writing science reports and academic papers, I was taught to always use numbers if possible to make arguments more concrete and definitive. The whole College of Health Sciences consisted of professions touting the importance of evidence-based practice. It's going to take a little bit of time to remember that numbers aren't always black and white facts.
ReplyDeleteDaniel, personally, when stories start spouting out too many numbers and data, I lose interest quickly. However when numbers are properly introduced or maybe put off in a well organized chart on the side, then I am way more likely to focus and get what I need out of them. Numbers don't have to be daunting, they just have to make sense.
ReplyDeleteIt is really not easy to use numbers properly. I often just put the numbers in the story instead of telling the readers what they mean by using plain language. So it could be very boring.
ReplyDeleteGood points about using numbers, which can can add gravity and credibility to a story or make it totally unreadable. It's also important to remember that datasets are compiled by humans and have fingerprints all over them. And mistakes. So it's important to know where data comes from.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comment on numbers. I actually completely avoid them because I just plain don't like them; however, the book suggests that finding numbers yourself through research is a good way to use them. Numbers can turn back and drag down a story, but they also have the ability to give people something to relate to or put in scope.
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