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I'd even say journalists don't understand statistics. Without proper math education, they see stats as a game of numbers where the goal is to pick the right nu
by akomtu 5y ago
I'd even say journalists don't understand statistics. Without proper math education, they see stats as a game of numbers where the goal is to pick the right numbers to support a desired conclusion. I can't seriously expect a journalist to understand what "2 sigma" means, and even less likely they'd be willing to learn the difference between gaussian and poisson distributions.
- nkurz 5y agoCertainly some journalists don't understand basic statistics, but counter to your insinuation, I'd guess the author of this piece does. Among other degrees, she has a Masters of Science in Biochemistry from UW-Madison: https://www.nytimes.com/by/apoorva-mandavilli https://www.nytimes.com/by/apoorva-mandavilli. Rather than lowering the standards and expectations for science journalists, I think we should raise them, and applaud the people like this who (likely) do understand what they are writing about.
- tedunangst 5y agoEven when the author understands the topic, the challenge is writing an article such that the reader reaches the same conclusion.