PressEthic

In a Washington Post story today police said that “crime has dropped 11 percent” since they declared a “crime emergency” two months ago. The article was referring to the violent death of three juveniles and one adult man killed within a 24-hour period in the Southeast and Northeast sections of Washington, DC.

This seems like a relatively innocent statistic, but it caught my attention because the article didn’t say how the Police Department determined the figure. Are all types of crime down, including violent crime? The victims in the article were all found in areas that are notoriously dangerous. So, is crime down 11 percent in those areas or for the whole city? How does this compare to crime rates last year at this time?

Readers see statistics and figures in many of the stories they read. Statistics are used to explain the bigger picture and give context to the issue the reporter is presenting. They help legitimize the reporter’s point and provide an aura of authority.

People want to see numbers to validate an argument and we, as journalists, give it to them (with the help of research organizations, centers that gather data, think tanks, etc). But, numbers can be interpreted different ways and what we choose to include in our articles will influence what the reader understands to be true.

In this case, DC is dealing with a surge in crime so significant that Police Chief Ramsey issued a state of emergency. After another four victims of violent deaths were found, reports still show that crime is down 11 percent. Is this really believable? My guess is that the Police Department’s PR team is looking at crime reports and finding a way to make 11 percent seem positive.

What is the media’s responsibility in terms of including stats? Do we owe it to the general public to explain where the numbers came from? I think so. But, responsibility also falls on readers.

They should question the information they receive instead of taking it as gospel. They should wonder how someone can say crime is down 11 percent in the same article as they say,

Gloria Dixon said her son's head was gashed, and purple marks ran around his wrists as though he had been bound. Similar marks circled his neck, she said. No rope was seen.

Here are some other examples of how statistics were included in an article in today’s news:

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the percentage of high school students who reported having sexual intercourse dropped from 54 percent in 1991 to 47 percent in 2005. (Source: “Teens T-Shirts make Educators Squirm”)

Lalita Kaul, an American Dietetic Association spokeswoman and professor of nutrition at Howard University Medical School, said over the last 25 years, about 70 percent of her patients at risk of diabetes have been able to control their blood sugar with diet and lifestyle changes. (Source: www.cnn.com)

In the 18 months after a no-smoking ordinance took effect in Pueblo in 2003, hospital admissions for heart attacks for city residents dropped 27 percent, according to the study led by Dr. Carl Bartecchi, a clinical professor of medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver. (Source: www.cnn.com)