How to report quantitative information in news stories

David Callison; R. Gibson; D. Zillmann

How to report quantitative information in news stories

David Callison, R. Gibson, D. Zillmann

Public Relations

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

The effects of various presentational formats of numerical values within news reports were examined. The textual separation of ratios (e.g., x of/in y), compared to other formats (pure ratios, percentages, probabilities), proved to be detrimental to numeric recall generally. Using a previously validated test of arithmetic aptitude (AA), it was also determined that persons of low AA recalled percentages more poorly than did persons of intermediate and high AA.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	43-55
Journal	Newspaper Research Journal
State	Published - 2009

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title = "How to report quantitative information in news stories",

abstract = "The effects of various presentational formats of numerical values within news reports were examined. The textual separation of ratios (e.g., x of/in y), compared to other formats (pure ratios, percentages, probabilities), proved to be detrimental to numeric recall generally. Using a previously validated test of arithmetic aptitude (AA), it was also determined that persons of low AA recalled percentages more poorly than did persons of intermediate and high AA.",

author = "David Callison and R. Gibson and D. Zillmann",

year = "2009",

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journal = "Newspaper Research Journal",

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AU - Callison, David

AU - Gibson, R.

AU - Zillmann, D.

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N2 - The effects of various presentational formats of numerical values within news reports were examined. The textual separation of ratios (e.g., x of/in y), compared to other formats (pure ratios, percentages, probabilities), proved to be detrimental to numeric recall generally. Using a previously validated test of arithmetic aptitude (AA), it was also determined that persons of low AA recalled percentages more poorly than did persons of intermediate and high AA.

AB - The effects of various presentational formats of numerical values within news reports were examined. The textual separation of ratios (e.g., x of/in y), compared to other formats (pure ratios, percentages, probabilities), proved to be detrimental to numeric recall generally. Using a previously validated test of arithmetic aptitude (AA), it was also determined that persons of low AA recalled percentages more poorly than did persons of intermediate and high AA.

M3 - Article

SP - 43

EP - 55

JO - Newspaper Research Journal

JF - Newspaper Research Journal

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