united nations economic commission for europe statistical division communication with the media:...
TRANSCRIPT
United Nations Economic Commission for EuropeStatistical DivisionUnited Nations Economic Commission for EuropeStatistical Division
Communication with the Media: Improving Accessibility in a Changing World
Steven Vale and Jessica Gardner, UNECE Statistical Division
Steven Vale - UNECE Statistical Division Slide 2April 18, 2023
Contents
The importance of accessibility “Communicating with the Media:
A Guide for Statistical Organizations” Recent trends Looking forward
Steven Vale - UNECE Statistical Division Slide 3
The importance of accessibility
“The ease and the conditions with which statistical information can be obtained”(Source: Metadata Common Vocabulary)
Not just about data availability Bringing data to users Conveying messages Opening a dialogue Ensuring information needs are met
Steven Vale - UNECE Statistical Division Slide 4
Accessibility includes:
Communicating Marketing Interpreting “Story-telling” Informing Educating
Steven Vale - UNECE Statistical Division Slide 5
• Published in 2004
• 6 Chapters, 74 pages
• Paper / web versionshttp://www.unece.org/stats/documents/media/guide/
• Based on good practice and experiences of national dissemination experts
Steven Vale - UNECE Statistical Division Slide 6
Chapters
1. Principles, objectives and management issues in data dissemination
2. Organizational aspects of dissemination
3. Methods and tools
4. Impact of the Internet on information dissemination
5. Learning in each other’s classrooms
6. Handling media crises
Steven Vale - UNECE Statistical Division Slide 7
Key points
Journalists are uncomfortable with numbers – most find data boring
... but data contain stories Statisticians need to help journalists to
extract those stories If done well, this allows statistical agencies
to communicate more effectively with the public and inform society
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Allies or enemies?
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Common ground?
Statisticians and journalists both collect and process information on society
Different theoretical foundations and culture, neither of which is false or true
Both are useful to society We should strive for co-operation and
possibly synthesis
Steven Vale - UNECE Statistical Division Slide 10
A symbiotic relationship?
Statisticians need good publicity• To have a positive public profile• To gain the trust of data providers and users• To inform public debate
Journalists need good statistics• To support analyses of social and economic
phenomena • To give legitimacy to their observations
Steven Vale - UNECE Statistical Division Slide 11
Recent trends
Improving statistical literacy amongst the media
Improving media awareness amongst statisticians
New tools for data presentation New approaches to communication Increased media speed
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Educating the media
Reluctant students!
Simpler reference metadata - plain language explanations of complex concepts
On-line tutorials? Pre-release embargoes?
Steven Vale - UNECE Statistical Division Slide 13
Published in 2005 “A practical tool to
help .... to bring statistics to life using effective writing techniques”
English and Russian
Improving media awareness amongst statisticians
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New tools
Graphic visualizations Hyperlinks Data communities
(Swivel, Many Eyes ..)
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New approaches
More interaction• Discussion forums• Blogs• Wikis
Pro-active dissemination• Alerts / RSS feeds• Targeted marketing• Customer relationship management
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Looking forwards
Rapidly evolving media communication tools and methods
Accessibility (and quality) will suffer if we don’t respond to this evolution
More flexible content and style according to the mode and audience
New style guide Update “Communication with the Media”!
Steven Vale - UNECE Statistical Division Slide 17
Thank-you for listening!
Comments and Questions?