Stats + Stories

A Podcast About The Statistics Behind the Stories and the Stories Behind the Statistics

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  • Stats + Stories
  • Recent Episodes
    • 2023
    • 2013-2022
    • Economics
    • Education
    • Entertainment
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Media
    • Methods
    • Politics
    • Society
    • Sports
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Featured
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Apr 11, 2024
Statistics Behind the Headlines: Reproducibility and Reporting | Stats + Stories Episode 322
Apr 11, 2024

How do you learn about what's going on in the world? Did a news headline grab your attention? Did a news story report on recent research? What do you need to know to be a critical consumer of the news you read? If you are looking to start developing your data self-defense and critical news consumption skills, this book is for you!

Apr 11, 2024
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Feb 22, 2024
Statistics Behind the Headlines: Social Media and Mental Health | Stats + Stories Episode 316
Feb 22, 2024

How do you learn about what's going on in the world? Did a news headline grab your attention? Did a news story report on recent research? What do you need to know to be a critical consumer of the news you read? If you are looking to start developing your data self-defense and critical news consumption skills, this book is for you!

Feb 22, 2024
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Jan 18, 2024
Statistics Behind the Headlines: Modeling "Flattening the Curve" | Stats + Stories Episode 311
Jan 18, 2024

How do you learn about what's going on in the world? Did a news headline grab your attention? Did a news story report on recent research? What do you need to know to be a critical consumer of the news you read? If you are looking to start developing your data self-defense and critical news consumption skills, this book is for you!

Jan 18, 2024
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Jan 12, 2024
The Most-Viewed Washington Post Article Ever | Stats + Stories Episode 142 (REPOST))
Jan 12, 2024

As researchers and medical professionals struggle to get a handle on the COVID-19 pandemic, journalists struggle to tell the pandemic’s story with many news outlets increasingly turning to info graphics and data visualizations to help them do so. Visualizing data for news is the focus of this episode of Stats and Stories

Jan 12, 2024
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Dec 14, 2023
Statistics Behind the Headlines: Tracking the Spread of "False News" | Stats + Stories Episode 307
Dec 14, 2023

How do you learn about what's going on in the world? Did a news headline grab your attention? Did a news story report on recent research? What do you need to know to be a critical consumer of the news you read? If you are looking to start developing your data self-defense and critical news consumption skills, this book is for you!

Dec 14, 2023
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Nov 2, 2023
Statistics Behind the Headlines: One Governor, Two Outcomes and Three COVID Tests | Stats + Stories Episode 294
Nov 2, 2023

How do you learn about what's going on in the world? Did a news headline grab your attention? Did a news story report on recent research? What do you need to know to be a critical consumer of the news you read? If you are looking to start developing your data self-defense and critical news consumption skills, this book is for you!

Nov 2, 2023
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Sep 7, 2023
Statistics Behind the Headlines: Speedy Sneakers | Stats + Stories Episode 294
Sep 7, 2023

How do you learn about what's going on in the world? Did a news headline grab your attention? Did a news story report on recent research? What do you need to know to be a critical consumer of the news you read? If you are looking to start developing your data self-defense and critical news consumption skills, this book is for you!

Sep 7, 2023
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Aug 17, 2023
What Does a News Producer Do? | Stats + Short Stories Episode 291 (Live From the WSC)
Aug 17, 2023

Tim Macuga joined the QUT Centre for Data Science at the start of 2022 where he expands connections and amplifies research for the Centre and for the Australian Data Science Network.

Aug 17, 2023
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Jun 29, 2023
Statistics Behind the Headlines: Investigating Series Binge-Watching | Stats + Stories Episode 284
Jun 29, 2023

How do you learn about what's going on in the world? Did a news headline grab your attention? Did a news story report on recent research? What do you need to know to be a critical consumer of the news you read? If you are looking to start developing your data self-defense and critical news consumption skills, this book is for you!

Jun 29, 2023
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Jun 22, 2023
How People Interpret Charts | Stats + Stories Episode 283
Jun 22, 2023

The news landscape is continuously in flux as new media technologies are developed and audience needs shift. This mix of new tech and new needs, has made it important that audiences be able to understand quantitive information. A research project between Knology and PBS NewsHour is studying just how people consume news and numbers. That project is the focus of this episode of Stats & Stories with guests Jena Barchas-Lichtenstein and Laura Santhanam.

Jun 22, 2023
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May 18, 2023
The Conduit of Persuasion | Stats + Stories Episode 278
May 18, 2023

Tchernev is an Assistant Professor of Strategic Communication at Miami University. Before academia, Tchernev worked in Los Angeles on shows like Reba, Class of 3000, and Futurama. His research examines the persuasive power of narratives and satire, audience psychology, and media multitasking.

May 18, 2023
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May 11, 2023
Manipulating Media and Destroying Democracy | Stats + Stories Episode 277
May 11, 2023

Researchers around the world are tracking misinformation and disinformation as they move through media ecosystems. The explosion of disinformation in particular is not an accident. In fact, one researcher argues that it has been weaponized by some on the right to erode democracy. That claim is the focus of this episode of Stats and Stories with guest Dr. Francesca Tripodi.

May 11, 2023
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Jan 5, 2023
A News and Numbers Alum | Stats + Stories Episode 260
Jan 5, 2023

Data have always been important to the work of journalists. from Jacob Riis' reporting on how the other half lived in late 1800s New York City, to stories about gun violence in 2022, journalists need numbers to tell their stories. But not every reporter is trained to find and work with data. That is the focus of this episode of Stats+Stories.

Jan 5, 2023
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Jul 14, 2022
Popping Filter Bubbles | Stats + Stories Episode 238
Jul 14, 2022

Have you ever wondered why a search engine result for undocumented workers in North Carolina provides links to worker rights sites, while a search for illegal aliens in North Carolina would lead you to immigration concern sites? Did you know that Wikipedia entries for women have a higher recommend rate of deletion than entries for men? The heart of those questions is the focus of this episode of Stats and Stories with guest Dr. Francesca Tripodi.

Jul 14, 2022
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Mar 17, 2022
The Data Journalism Podcast | Stats + Stories Episode 223
Mar 17, 2022

Data Journalism is a hot topic in the news business. Reporters working in diverse media and diverse markets are increasingly being asked to work with data. What exactly makes for good data journalism and what does a reporter need to understand to use data well. Those are a few of the questions discussed on The Data Journalism Podcast and that is the focus of this episode of Stats and Stories with guests Alberto Cairo and Simon Rogers..

Mar 17, 2022
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Dec 2, 2021
COVID By Numbers | Stats + Stories Episode 210
Dec 2, 2021

There's so much data out there about COVID-19 it can be hard to make sense of it all. Over the last year, a couple of statisticians have been working to help the readers of the Guardian, get a handle on the numbers. Dr. Anthony Masters and Sir David John Spiegelhalter have a new book out based on their weekly blog titled COVID by the Numbers, which is the focus of this episode of Stats and Stories.

Dec 2, 2021
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Nov 4, 2021
A Chance for Good | Stats + Stories Episode 207
Nov 4, 2021

There's a lot of conversation happening about the ethical uses of data and statistics how much weight should we put on numbers at all? How thoroughly should we investigate the methodologies used to create them? And who has access to the data? A special issue of chance focuses on statistics and data science for good and that is the topic of this episode of Stats and Stories with guests Caitlin Augustin and Matt Brems.

Nov 4, 2021
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Sep 23, 2021
Making Newsrooms More Data Friendly | Stats + Stories Episode 201 (from the RSS 2021 Conference)
Sep 23, 2021

Newsrooms all over the world are embracing data journalism – looking for unique and thoughtful ways to use data to tell stories about their communities. But is every newsroom handling data as carefully as it should be? What safeguards are in place ensure journalists are using data in ethical ways? That’s the focus of this episode of Stats and Stories with guest Irineo Cabreros.

Sep 23, 2021
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Sep 9, 2021
Statistics on the Timeline | Stats + Stories Episode 199.75 (from the RSS 2021 Conference)
Sep 9, 2021

Twitter can be cacophonous at times on a given day, serious analysis of the situation in Afghanistan, news stories about climate change, and Parry Gripp’s Music for Cat Piano Volume 1 can all compete for a user’s attention. This has only become more clear during the COVID 19 pandemic as it seems almost everyone is tweeting about the disease, with varying levels of expertise

Sep 9, 2021
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Aug 26, 2021
Comparing and Contrasting Professions | Stats + Short Stories Episode 199.25
Aug 26, 2021

Talking about statistics with my journalism colleagues is the basis of what brings this show together. But speaking about, and communicating statistical work with journalists, and understanding our interdisciplinary relationship in the era of fake news and misinformation is more important than ever. That's the focus of this week’s episode of Stats and Short Stories with guest Kevin McConway.

Aug 26, 2021
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Aug 5, 2021
Sounding Human When Talking About Statistics | Stats + Stories Episode 198
Aug 5, 2021

Communicating statistics effectively can be a difficult task it can sometimes be hard to know how much information someone needs in order to understand a particular set of numbers. Jargon can be another stumbling block to clearly communicating what a statistical finding means. Communicating stats clearly is the focus of this episode of Stats and Stories with guest Kevin McConway

Aug 5, 2021
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Mar 4, 2021
Cautionary Tales | Stats + Short Stories Episode 178
Mar 4, 2021
Mar 4, 2021
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Dec 3, 2020
The Last Legs of Local Journalism | Stats + Stories Episode 166
Dec 3, 2020
Dec 3, 2020
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Nov 5, 2020
What it's Like Reporting on Statistics for the BBC | Stats + Stories Episode 163
Nov 5, 2020

Being able to effectively communicate data is becoming an increasingly important part of a journalists job, so much so that news outlets are expanding their staffs to include data scientists and statisticians and that is the focus of this episode of Stats and Stories with guest Robert Cuffe.

Nov 5, 2020
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Sep 10, 2020
Statisticians React to the News | Stats + Stories Episode 155
Sep 10, 2020
Sep 10, 2020
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Jul 31, 2020
News Deserts | Stats + Stories Episode 152
Jul 31, 2020

Tom Stites is a seasoned writer, editor and entrepreneur with a passion for strengthening journalism and democracy. Currently he is a consulting editor for the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and the founder and president of the Banyan Project which aims to strengthen democracy by pioneering a sustainable and easily replicable new model for Web journalism. As an editor he has supervised reporting that has won an array of major journalism awards, including two Pulitzer Prizes; as an entrepreneur he has been the founding publisher of two print magazines and three Web publications.

Jul 31, 2020
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Jun 11, 2020
The Most-Viewed Washington Post Article Ever | Stats + Stories Episode 142
Jun 11, 2020
Jun 11, 2020
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Apr 9, 2020
How To Be An Ethical Data Journalist | Stats + Stories Episode 134
Apr 9, 2020

Bekah McBride is a science writer and communications specialist who has worked with both companies and universities to turn data and research into applicable and actionable messages that inspire change. She holds a B.S. in Life Science Communication with an emphasis in Business from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a M.A. in Journalism from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her work has been published on DataJournalism.com and in Significance.

Apr 9, 2020
Feb 27, 2020
Reporting on the Census | Stats + Stories Episode 128
Feb 27, 2020

Hansi Lo Wang is a national correspondent for NPR based in New York City. He reports on the people, power and money behind the 2020 census. Wang received the American Statistical Association's Excellence in Statistical Reporting Award for covering the Census Bureau and the Trump administration's push for a citizenship question. Check out his work on NPR and follow him on Twitter.

Feb 27, 2020
Sep 19, 2019
Introducing The Harvard Data Science Review | Stats + Stories Episode 112
Sep 19, 2019

Xiao-Li Meng, the Whipple V. N. Jones Professor of Statistics, and the Founding Editor-in-Chief of Harvard Data Science Review, is well known for his depth and breadth in research, his innovation and passion in pedagogy, his vision and effectiveness in administration, as well as for his engaging and entertaining style as a speaker and writer. Meng was named the best statistician under the age of 40 by COPSS (Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies) in 2001, and he is the recipient of numerous awards and honors for his more than 150 publications in at least a dozen theoretical and methodological areas, as well as in areas of pedagogy and professional development.

Sep 19, 2019
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