ABSTRACT
The Plain Dealer series demonstrates the value of understanding and using statistics and high-level data analysis in news reporting. The reporters did not have to wait for a medical researcher or other scholar to produce the analysis. Statistics and statistical tests assist journalists in interpreting data collected. Humans have used statistics for thousands of years, but only recently—in the past century—have statistics emerged to become valuable to society. Journalists are probably most familiar with descriptive statistics, but to complete more meaningful analyses of information, some knowledge of inferential statistics will be necessary. The Professional Statistics module adds cluster analysis, discriminant analysis, factor analysis, multidimensional scaling, and other advanced tools. The Advanced Statistics module features logistic regression, loglinear analysis, and multivariate ANOVA among its tools. News story assignments that involve data and statistics often chase away certain reporters. Similarly, news stories burdened with statistics chase away certain readers and viewers.
