1. Quality in statistics and relation to the media
Carsten Ulrik Zangenberg
Magnus Bo Nørtoft
June 27
Session 13

2. User orientation is everything
Quality of a statistical product or service is not only what we put into it. It is also what the users get out of it and how they can use it.

3. Why we are here Good decisions rely on facts
Common reference frame for discussions
Provide the basic facts on society – a common reference point
Basis for democracy and economy
National and international statistical systems

4. Changes are going on – Statistical agencies

5. Competition in the “market of facts”
Big Data

6. Media – a central target group
Media as central agent in the public sphere
Basis for democracy and economy
Provide the basic facts on society – a common reference point
Because good decisions rely on facts
Common reference frame for discussions
Media – a central target group:
Key agent in cultivating common reference frame for discussions
Central supplier of information to private, public and political persons

7. Changes are going on – Media
Increased number og news updates
Cuts in staff
Cuts in specialized and
investigative groups and staff
production speed
Increase in
Reduced budgets
Competition in the
“market of news”
Competition in
audience attention

8. What are the challenges?
Decline in media awareness
Competition in the “market of facts”
Change in media workplace reality
Change in expectation:
Increased demand for proactive and contextually designed figures
Increased demand for production time and publication timing
Being understood is even more important:
Increased attention from new recipients
Different context and focus (public debate not production of data)
Metadata and statistical documentation

9. What do we do? Analysis unit Editorial set-up Teaching of journalists
Direct dialogue with media- editors
Correct and contain misinterpretations in the media
Customized and unique extracts to media
Extended microdata service
Intensive work on documentation of statistics – including quality assurance
Quality reviews of statistical products and follow up on action plans
Coherent metadata system of
Documentation of statistics
Classifications
Concepts
Description of variables

10. Analysis Unit in DST Tasks: Helps with identifying good ideas
Helps with statistical design and analysis
Helps with writing up analyses
External effects:
Better idea of what the users want
Increased ability to meet the needs of users
Use analyses to promote ‘ordinary’ statistics
Internal effects:
Increased collaboration across different parts of the organization
Better support of staff in the organization for tasks that are fun, but difficult
Feedback from analyses to ‘ordinary’ statistics

12. What are the criteria?
Assessment of the story is based on the new criteria, significance, relevance and identification.
Statistical assessment of data quality, can it meet requirements in the context?
Do we contribute with something new that qualifies the debate
When selecting topics, we are aware of the fact that they reflect both the breadth of our statistical areas and the breadth of the social debate
The editors' releases reflect Statistics Denmarks values on impartiality and independence
The results are not guiding if we publish or not. We should be able to imagine entering the story, regardless of what our data shows - we focus on what the statistics show

13. But…

14. Challanges
Documentation and reservations are not always read or understood
A more editorial and analytical dissemination makes new demands on the distribution of documentation
Unclear target group for dissemination of documentation
Different "level" for documentation in different statistical areas
Lack of description and explanation of concepts in the dissemination

15. What to do? Context based documentation
Revisiting documentation of statistics
Feed back to statistics units and spread understanding of importance
More transparency about quality, eg. through communication of quality reviews
Central base and description(s) of concepts
Quality assurance as part of media readiness

16. Quality in statistics and relation to the media
Thank you for your attention
Carsten Zangenberg
Magnus Nørtoft