TLDR: Treat numbers like quotes — use them as little as possible.

Writing with numbers

When it comes time to write your data-driven story, there are ways you can ensure that you convey your findings in the most powerful way possible and at the same time avoid burying your readers in numbers. This session will give you tips for avoiding number clutter, conveying your findings in ways that readers will understand and some other general guidance for using numbers in stories. We'll spend some time looking at real-life examples and talking about ways to make them better.

*MaryJo Webster, Star Tribune*

<aside> 🔗 https://resources.ire.org/tipsheets/20240307-30355.pdf

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• Data journalists overload stories with numbers because we like them; reporters throw numbers in stories because they’re afraid to touch them.
• But: numbers slow readers down & confuse them while projecting an illusion of legitimacy.
• Before writing a number, say what it’s supposed to show in words (trend, comparison, etc). What’s the point of including this number? Does it serve what the story is about?

1. Ease reader comprehension
   • Use rates, ratios, proportions, fractions for really big or really small numbers. Turn numbers into something people can grasp.
     • “$16.6 billion” >>> “$3,000 per person”
   • Don’t make readers do the math (compare proportion, size, etc); do it for them.
   • Make comparisons easy to grasp with parallel data.
     • “37% of Minnesota's public school students are pupils of color, 95% of the educators are white.” >>> “Nearly 37% of Minnesota’s public school students are pupils of color compared to 5% of the state’s educators.”
2. Avoid number clutter
   • Ditch decimals (unless they make a difference for the article).
     • Every additional digit slows readers down/increases the chance they’ll stop reading.
     • All data is flawed; decimals imply false precision.
     • Never use decimals for non-divisible things (like people).
   • Round generously. “About,” “nearly,” “more than,” etc. gets the job done better than the specific numbers.
     • “1,965 people” >>> “Nearly 2,000 people”
   • Whenever possible, substitute numbers with “quarter,” “third,” “half,” etc.
   • Don’t crowd numbers in one paragraph or successive paragraphs.
3. Characterize findings in words
   • Provide context and scale. What is the reader supposed to make of this number? What is the “good”/”normal” number in a given scenario?
     • 6% is a very high rate of unemployment, but 6% on its own is small.
   • Use yardsticks to illustrate important comparisons, and make sure the simile matches what the article is about.
     • “Only 3% of the world’s water is available for humans to drink. If a large bucket were to represent all the seawater on the planet, and a coffee cup the amount of freshwater frozen in glaciers, only a teaspoon would remain for us to drink.”
4. Pick 1 star number
   • Readers forget easily. If there is one number you want to get across, keep that and move the rest to a graphic.