Journalists, please stop doing this

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25 December 2023, 12:40 PM

RealPlayer

Journalists, please stop doing this

From a piece by Mara Gay in today’s New York Times (but they ALL do it):

“Nearly a third of Black men said they supported Mr. Trump, while 17 percent of Black women did. In another poll, one in five Black voters said they wanted someone other than Mr. Trump or Mr. Biden.”

Please, why not just write 33%, 17%, 20%? I realize it’s simple math, but don’t make me do it in my head. It slows down my reading and comprehension.

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“It's hard to win an argument with a smart person. It's damn near impossible to win an argument with a stupid person." -- Bill Murray

25 December 2023, 05:57 PM

Axtremus

Most statistics can be more easily and compactly presented in a table or in a graph/chart rather than words, yet most articles in the popular press present them in words. Probably because it’s cheaper to pay writers than to pay number crunchers or graphic artists, or to pay only writers (that the press needs to have) and not pay any number cruncher or graphic artist (that are merely “nice to have” for the press).

26 December 2023, 05:14 AM

Daniel

It's written in an incoherent style, using both words and symbols for numbers.

Numbers usually 'should be' written as words (as a default), but this tries to have it both ways.

This is an exception to the 'rule,' and I agree with you; only symbols should have been used.

26 December 2023, 06:48 PM

Nina

quote:
Originally posted by Axtremus:
Most statistics can be more easily and compactly presented in a table or in a graph/chart rather than words, yet most articles in the popular press present them in words. Probably because it’s cheaper to pay writers than to pay number crunchers or graphic artists, or to pay only writers (that the press needs to have) and not pay any number cruncher or graphic artist (that are merely “nice to have” for the press).

I think in the olden days it was more expensive to lay out a table than straight text, but today when everything is laid out by computer and camera-ready, I don't know why we don't see more tables. Some sites (NYT springs to mind) will occasionally have really nice interactive graphics, but it's uncommon.