News, Numbers and Public Opinion in a Data-Driven World

An Nguyen is Associate Professor of Journalism at Bournemouth University, UK. He has published extensively on the diffusion and social impact of online/digital journalism, news consumption and citizenship (including citizen journalism), science journalism, and news and development in a globalizing world.

• List of ContributorsForewordStuart Allan, Cardiff University, UKIntroduction Exciting times in the shadow of the ‘post-truth’ era: news, numbers and public opinion in a data-driven worldAn Nguyen, Bournemouth University, UK Section 1: Data and Statistics in News Production1 Common statistical errors in the news: the often-unfulfilled roles of journalists in statistics-society relationshipFabienne Crettaz von Roten, University of Lausanne, Switzerland2 More light, less heat: rethinking impartiality in light of a review into the reporting of statistics in UK news mediaStephen Cushion, Cardiff University, UK; Justin Lewis, Cardiff University, UK3 Numbers that kill: how dubious statistics shaped news reporting of the drone warMuhammad Idrees Ahmad, University of Stirling, UK4 Poor numbers, poor news: the ideology of poverty statistics in the mediaJairo Lugo-Ocando, University of Leeds, UK; Brendan Lawson, University of Leeds, UK5 Statistics in science journalism: an exploratory study of four leading British and Brazilian newspapersRenata Faria Brandão, University of Sheffield, UK; An Nguyen, Bournemouth University, UK6 Data journalism at its finest: A longitudinal analysis of the characteristics of award-nominated data journalism projectsJulius Reimer, Hans Bredow Institute for Media Research, Germany; Wiebke Loosen, Hans Bredow Institute for Media Research, Germany7 Numbers behind the news: audience metrics and the changing nature of gatekeepingAn Nguyen, Bournemouth University, UK; Hong Tien Vu, University of Kansas, USASection 2: Data and Statistics in News Consumption8 The power of numbers, reconsidered Scott R. Maier, University of Oregon, USA9 Big data, little insight: anecdotal and quantitative descriptions of threatening trends and their effects on news consumersCharles R. Berger, University of California, Davis, USA10 Effects of statistical information in news reports on individuals’ recall and understanding of events and issues: implications for journalistic practicesRhonda Gibson, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA; Coy Callison, Texas Tech University, USA11 Numbers in the news: more ethos than logos?Willem Koetsenruijter, Leiden University, the Netherlands12 Audience uses and evaluations of news visualizations: when does an infographic say more than a thousand words?Yael de Haan, University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, the Netherlands; Sanne Kruikemeier, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Sophie Lecheler, University of Vienna, Austria; Gerard Smit, University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, the Netherlands; Renee van der Nat, University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, the NetherlandsSection 3: Agenda for the Future13 Toward a fruitful relationship between statistics and the media: one statistician’s viewKevin McConway, The Open University, UK14 Mind the statistics gap: science journalism as a bridge between data and journalismHolger Wormer, TU Dortmund University, Germany15 Teaching statistical reasoning (or not) in journalism education: findings and implications from surveys with US j-chairsRobert J. Griffin, Marquette University, USA; Sharon Dunwoody, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA16 Four conceptual lenses for journalism amidst big data: toward an emphasis on epistemological challengesOscar Westlund, University of Gothenburg, Sweden; Seth C. Lewis, University of Oregon, USAIndex

An Nguyen’s excellent edited collection takes a big-picture, critical perspective on the Big Data hype in journalism and journalism scholarship. The included texts avoid (even argue against!) technological determinism and focus instead on the social, cultural and historical contexts of the use of data and numbers in journalism and tackle key issues using well-chosen case studies and analytical sharpness. A must-read for anyone trying to make sense of the increasingly numbers-obsessed contemporary news landscape.