Statistics and Mathematics for Journalism

For the practicing journalist the use of numbers, mathematics, and statistics now plays an essential role in almost every aspect of the field. This course is designed to prepare those who will be working as journalists to understand the basics of collecting, describing, and analyzing data, as well as to offer instruction in the mathematics that is necessary in journalism. The course will present these topics in the context that they appear in journalism and will present some of the tools now common in practice: the use of the internet to collect data and the use of spreadsheets to analyze that data.

Target Audience

• Undergraduate Journalism Majors
• Students preparing for a career in Journalism or in other fields calling on the exposition of statistical and mathematically based information.

Course Description

• Writing with Numbers: Generally accepted conventions for presenting mathematical content in writing.
• Basic Mathematics: Essential mathematical topics for the working journalist, including percentages, inflation, and rates of change.
• Descriptive Statistics: The written and graphical presentation of statistical information.
• Inferential Statistics: Drawing conclusions based on data.
• Spreadsheets: The use of spreadsheets to analyze and to present data.
• Finding Data: A special focus in placed on the use of the internet in find data.

Statistics and Mathematics for Journalism web page

For Further Information, contact ...

• Paul Voakes, School of Journalism, Indiana University
  e-mail pvoakes@indiana.edu
• Charles Livingston, Mathematics Department, Indiana University
  e-mail livingst@indiana.edu