ABSTRACT
A failure to report statistics properly is a failure of accuracy. The last ten years or so have seen the emergence of large numbers of independent fact-checkers, reflecting concerns about the reliability of information and statistics being presented without proper scrutiny or challenge. Almost every story you do will involve some numbers or statistics, especially if you are trying to offer some context. The workshop encouraged them to ask the sort of questions that would help them report and present statistics in a responsible and accurate way. An obvious starting place would be the Office for National Statistics. The secret of dealing with statistics successfully at a fundamental level is usually a simple matter of common sense and the exercise of a little healthy scepticism. It is plainly ridiculous to suggest that there is a real cause and effect relationship between these twinned sets of random statistics.
