Do you think the sample represents the population accurately?

The use of data and statistics in journalism (and the media in general) is at an all-time high. As such, it is important for the general population to have some statistical literacy. The goal of this assignment is to recognize the concepts weve learned over the semester in the media. And to identify either good or poor uses of them. I want you to look for an article/blog post/whatever that uses some statistics to help prove or explain something. Then
– In a short paragraph, summarize the article.
– Briefly describe the data that is used and how it is collected. What is the sample and what is the
population? Example: Survey data collected by QU pollsters. The sample is those polled, and the
population may be U.S. citizens eligible to vote.
– Do you think the sample represents the population accurately? Comment on the data accuracy. Do
you think there is any bias? Why or why not? Could there be data collection issues? If so, what are
they? Comment on data types used; are they quantitative or qualitative, time series, cross-sectional,
or panel data?
– Are there charts or graphs used? What are they? Do they do a good job of summarizing the data?
Why or why not? A good way to test this is to look at the graph without reading the article and see if
you can figure out what it’s trying to say.
– What statistics are used (e.g. mean, median, mode, variance, etc)? Are there other statistics used
that you don’t recognize? What is the use of these statistics in the article? What is the author trying
to show with each? If not otherwise stated, do you think there is a lot of variation in the dataset?
– (This is required) Come up with an instance where you think a confidence interval,
hypothesis test, and/or regression would help the argument (or potentially disprove it).
– Briefly summarize whether or not you thought the article used data in a meaningful way. Suggest
some additional data you might have like to see used (this can be anything, available or not)

Last Completed Projects