Turning data into prose

I’m a words person, not a numbers person.”

“Narratives are great, but the focus is on telling stories and the reporting is often shallow.”

Despite being two of the most significant developments in journalism over the past century, computer-assisted reporting and narrative journalism are often at odds. But despite their differences, the two can be combined to create stories with great depth that are also a pleasure to read.

But you need to keep a few things in mind. First, numbers — no matter how thorough your analysis — aren’t the story. Second, numbers don’t have to get in the way of the narrative if you use them right. Words make the story; the numbers or analysis can give that story extra depth and authority.

Here are a few tips for writing narrative stories that use computer-assisted reporting.

• Use the analysis to help form a chronology.
  Most data analysis is about following patterns over time and can easily be written into a narrative structure. For a series that I worked on at my former paper, we used the database to follow a sequence of events and there wrote about it in chronological order. There were no numbers in the passage, and it was almost as if the story didn’t involve data analysis. We were the only ones who knew.
  
• When you do use numbers, use them sparingly.
  Try to hold them to no more than three in a paragraph. All the other information can go into charts and graphs.
  
• Substitute words for numbers.
  Instead of using 50 percent, use “half.” Use “a quarter” instead of 25 percent. If you are writing about increases, say the numbers “more than doubled” or “dropped by a third.” In this way, you still get to use the results of your analysis without clogging your stories with numbers.
  
• Don’t dismiss computer-assisted reporting as being just about abstract numbers.
  As the main character on one of my favorite TV shows says, “Everything is about numbers.” Or, maybe it would be more accurate to say, “Numbers are about everything.” Keep in mind that the numbers collected in databases, spreadsheets and other formats are about people. The census collects information on people. Campaign contributions are people giving money to other people. Administrative databases kept by government agencies are data about how people within a bureaucracy work and how that bureaucracy affects people. Furthermore, much of the information we write about comes from studies, reports, etc. Don’t be afraid to use numbers, and remember that they’re all based on real people in the real world.
  
• Understand basic math and statistics.
  This is the scary one for reporters. But it’s important. In order to write about numbers or use them accurately and gracefully in stories, you need to have a pretty decent understanding of math and statistics. This will help you turn complex reports and data into prose. Don’t panic. There’s training. There are classes. There are secret math-lovers in this very room who can help you.
  
• Use examples.
  It’s often hard for people to understand something like “one part per billion” or how heavy 23 tons is. Comparisons can help them conceptualize — “about the size of three football fields” or “taller than 10 Buicks stacked atop one another.”

Resources

• Any book by John McPhee: No one is better at turning scientific data into prose. Control of Nature, his book on attempts by the Army Corps of Engineers to control the Mississippi River, is especially good at using numbers in a narrative form.
• The Chicago Guide to Writing About Numbers, Jane E. Miller: A guide to understanding numbers and turning them into readable text.
• Precision Journalism, Phillip Meyers: This is the book that’s the foundation of computer assisted reporting and a guide to understanding numbers and using them in journalism.