Sunday, April 12, 2020

Do numbers lie? Data and statistics in the age of coronavirus


How accurate are coronavirus infection and death rates? Plus, Italian journalists on reporting COVID-19.


Do numbers lie? Data and statistics in the age of the coronavirus.

COVID-19 is a news story driven by the numbers. The data helps journalists quantify the scale of the pandemic and allows news consumers to assess the risk. The numbers also inform governments on what measures should be taken.
But statisticians say the way in which coronavirus data is collected, interpreted and reported, is inherently flawed. The issue is not misinformation, rather it is the limitations of science, in the early stages of understanding a new virus and a new pandemic.

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