The numbers game: A case study of mathematical literacy at a South African newspaper1

This paper draws on a mathematics audit of a South African newspaper to make a quantitative assessment of numerical accuracy in that local paper. It attempts to answer three research questions: how often do news reports in a daily newspaper include a quantitative element? How often do mathematical errors occur in those reports? What types of mathematical errors occur in those reports? Twelve consecutive weekday editions of the Cape Times, a daily newspaper based in Cape Town, South Africa, were examined to measure the frequency of quantitative elements in news reports, the frequency of mathematical errors in those reports containing quantitative elements, and the types of errors that occur. The data revealed that a large proportion of news reports include a quantitative element, supporting the hypothesis that journalists need to be mathematically literate. News reports with a quantitative element had a high rate of numerical errors, mostly due to a lack of ability in or attention to basic arithmetic. The findings raise questions about the numerical competency of South African journalists and concerns about the ability of the South African media to perform their normative role within a developing democracy. Keywords: Democracyinnumeracyjournalism educationjournalism studiesmathematical literacynewspapers Notes 1. The preliminary findings of this study were reported in Rhodes Journalism Review 2006. An earlier version of this article, based on the preliminary findings, was presented at the 5th International Conference on Mass Communication and Media in Athens, Greece. The author wishes to thank an anonymous reviewer for his or her thoughtful comments. Additional informationNotes on contributorsRobert Brand* *Robert Brand is senior lecturer and the Pearson Chair of Economics Journalism at the School of Journalism and Media Studies, Rhodes University, Grahamstown