Reporting with numbers

EXERCISE #2: Reporting with Numbers
Please refer to the “Math for Journalists” section in Inside Reporting (Ch. 4, p. 84-85) for the information you will need to complete these exercises. You’ll need to review the segments on calculating percentages and figuring the mean and median (p. 84), as well as the “idea file” bullet points (p. 85) on how to present numbers.

1) A local college releases figures showing that its total budget is $120 million. Of that total, $80 million comes from the state, $6 million from student tuition, and the remaining $34 million from fees, grants and gifts.

* Figure the percentage of the college’s budget that comes from each source.
* Identify the significance of each funding source (the most vs. the least, etc.).
* Using plain words, instead of numbers, explain the proportion of funding that comes from different sources. Say it in the way you think would make it most easily understood.

65%- from the state

5%- from student tuition

30%- from fees, grants and gifts

• A local college releases figures showing that its total budget is $120 million. Of that total, 65 percent comes from the state, 30 percent come from fees, grants and gifts and six percent come from student tuition.

2) Your editor assigns you to do a story about prison sentences handed down in cases of aggravated assault. He gives you the following figures from an anti-crime group that is lobbying for tougher sentencing guidelines. The cases represent the people convicted for aggravated assault in San Jose in one month in 2006.

* Calculate the average prison term for people convicted of aggravated assault, taking care to convert some of the terms to figures that will compare properly (months vs. years).
* Calculate the media prison term for people convicted of aggravated assault.
* Explain why the average or median figure is the most accurate description of prison terms.

Name Sentence
Donald Lee 1 year prison, 2 years probation
Richard Smith 1 year prison, 1 year probation
Wesley Mitchell 14 months prison, 1 year probation
Mary Jones 1 year prison, 1 year probation
Juan Rodriguez 1 year prison, 2 years probation
Harold Rothstein 8 months prison, 1 year probation
Michael Reese 7 years prison, 5 years probation

• Cases represented for the people convicted for aggravated assault in San Jose in one month in 2006, show that on average, the convicted will serve 20 month in prison and 22 months probation.

3) The state legislature is considering exempting restaurant food sales from the sales tax in the same way grocery sales are exempt.

* First, find out the state sales tax.
* Then determine and explain how much fast-food patrons who pay $5 per meal would save in a year if they eat out once a week.
* Explain how much people would save if they spend $20 per meal once a week for a year.

• The state legislature is considering exempting restaurant food sales from the 7.25 percent sales tax in the same way grocery sales tax are exempt. The person who goes out to eat for every meal, on average, spends about $5 dollars per meal. That’s roughly $100 dollars a week. If they were to only eat out once a week, spending about five to twenty dollars, they would be saving about $5000 dollars a year.