Correct numbers, please

Context is key.

Plenty of stories require numbers, facts, and figures. It's extremely easy to take them out of context or to simply use them incorrectly. And, even if information is most likely written correctly, if a reader is left completely confused when more explaining ought to have been done, then the writer and publication deserve blame.

Let's take a look at this Associated Press story. It's extremely easy to write totals. The story was describing that people in the areas of coastal Maine and some of Canada braced for a hurricane. The story said it was the eve of the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Juan -- and that that Category 2 hurricane caused an estimated $100 million worth of damages. It might be pleasant to throw around round numbers, but I'd like to know exactly how this number came to fruition.

Is damage moving out of a home and buying a new one? Is it just areas that needed to be repaired? Also, if read closely, the story says the preparation for Hurricane Kyle is the preparation for a hurricane -- a type of weather condition that has not occurred in Maine for 17 years. So, I was thinking about Hurricane Juan. What gives?

It turns out upon closer reading that technically, Hurricane Juan touched down in Canada.

The story talks about 7 inches of rain in Maine in three days along some costal areas. This type of statement can be read in many ways. Which exact coastal areas had this total of rain? How exactly should 7 inches of rain be interpreted if it's over the course of three days? Was there just consistent downpour the entire three-day period? Other areas (some, not all, was said) just got a little less, a lot less? As a viewer, context needs to be provided so the reader can best understand the scenario. Of course, unfortunately, journalists seem to prove over and over again that they are not expert mathematicians. Important to note is that what ended up hitting turned out to be a tropical storm, which the story did.

At the end of the story, it discussed a storm in the "Northeast" that killed 700 people in 1938. Where exactly in the Northeast? Northeast Maine? I know New York and areas of New England are mentioned, but this whole different story has been about Maine. The point for this story and the couple others that will be used are not about sheer inaccurate numbers but about providing context for the reader. If more precision and research were used, there'd be a lot more knowledge.

Take a look at this simple Wall Street Journal story regarding the first debate between Barack Obama and John McCain. I was confused for a while because the story said 57 million people tuned in for the debate. But what was the rating itself? And what was the '04 first debate rating (between John Kerry and George W. Bush) that was being discussed in comparison? But this story puts things in context better. Plus, the WSJ story states as fact the most-watched debate was the 1980 one between Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. But what about the 1960 debate between JFK and Richard Nixon? Many believe this debate to truly have the most watchers, though as the Hollywood Reporter points out, there was no modern rating system.

But that fact alone doesn't mean one can claim as fact that the '80 debate had the most viewers when that claim, well, might not be a fact. I think an explanation is deserved.

And finally, with this Energy Drink story, the story never explained the official line that separates energy drinks and soft drinks. Energy drinks have more caffeine -- but how much more caffeine. Is there an exact number? How is the data being collected?

If Americans spent $5.4 billion on energy drinks, more specific drinks should be cited in the story. Also, a plethora of negative health effects were thrown out there, but how much caffeine can usually lead to these effects? If someone drinks 10 "Wired X505's" in one day? 15? Or just a couple a day. And I have vaguely heard the term "caffeine intoxication" before. This health issue should be explained because many readers probably do not understand exactly what that term means.