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How Sources, Reporters View Math Errors in News
Newspaper Research Journal, Fall 2003 by Maier, Scott R
25. Scott R. Maier, "Numbers in the News: ? Mathematics Audit of a Daily Newspaper," Journalism Studies 3, no. 4 (2002): 511.
26. Douglas B. Ward, "The Effectiveness of Sidebar Graphics," Journalism Quarterly 69, no. 2 (1992): 318-328; David Prabu, "Accuracy of Visual Perception of Quantitative Graphics: An Exploratory Study," Journalism Quarterly 69, no. 2 (1992): 273-292; Orcutt and Turner, "Shocking Numbers," 190-206.
27. Columbia Journalism Review, "Inside the Pulitzers," Columbia journalism Review, May/ June 1999, 14-16; Margaret DeFleur, Computer-Assisted Investigative Reporting (Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1997).
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28. Victor Cohn, News Gf Numbers: A Guide to Reporting Statistical Claims and Controversies in Health and Other Fields (Ames: Iowa State University Press, 1989), 3-4.
29. Patricia A. Curtin and Scott R. Maier, "Numbers in the Newsroom: A Qualitative Examination of a Quantitative Challenge," Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly 78, no. 4 (2001): 723-731.
30. Scott R. Maier, "Do the Math: Journalists + Math = Anxiety, Self-Doubt," American Editor, (January/February 2002): 18-19.
31. Accuracy researchers have commonly classified factual errors into the following categories: misquotes, spellings, names, ages, other numbers, titles, addresses, other locations, time and dates. Some researchers have created a factual/subjective dichotomy by expanding the "errors of meaning" classification to include categories such as overemphasis, underemphasis, omission, and misleading headlines. Research using factor analysis found support for this dual conception of error. Michael Ryan, "A Factor Analytic Study of Scientists' Responses to Error," Journalism Quarterly 52 (summer 1975): 333-336.
32. William B. Blankenburg, "News Accuracy: Some Findings on the Meaning of Errors," Journal of Communication 20 (December 1970): 384.
33. For example, see James W. Tankard and Michael Ryan, "News Source Perceptions of Accuracy of Science Coverage," Journalism Quarterly 51 (summer 1974): 219-225; Phillip Tichenor et al., "Mass Communication Systems and Communication Accuracy in Science News Reporting," Journalism Quarterly 47 (winter 1970): 673-683.
34. By this definition, Blankenburg explains, a person making an appointment of a civic committee would be considered "significantly mentioned" and so would the chairman of the committee if he were quoted or present at the time of the appointment. The new members, if merely listed, would not be deemed significantly mentioned. Blankenburg, "News Accuracy," 376.
35. For a more detailed discussion of method and results of the survey, see Scott R. Maicr, "Getting It Right? Not in 59 Percent of Stories," Newspaper Research Journal 23, no. 1 (2002): 10-24.
36. Philip Meycr, "A Workable Measure of Auditing Accuracy in Newspapers," Newspaper Research Journal 10, no. 1 (1988): 39-51; William A. Tillinghast, "Newspaper Errors: Reporters Dispute Most Source Claims," Newspaper Research Journal 3, no. 4 (1982): 14-15.
37. Reporter comment was not sought when the perceived numerical inaccuracy was in the researcher's opinion trivial (i.e., cost of an item was $3.27, not $3.25) or cause of the error was selfevident (i.e., outdated figures used, source admits providing incorrect information).
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