Journalists need math?

The University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism administers a mandatory pass/fail math competency test every semester to students taking its introductory News Writing and Reporting course. The test contains “elementary school mathematics,” which the school website says “all journalists must know to do their jobs successfully.” With the knowledge that today’s journalists need more varied skills, students in the college’s journalism program consider whether math courses or required math tests mandated through the school will indeed benefit them as future journalists.

Sophomore broadcast journalism major Taylor Cairns does not believe the journalism school should mandate any math tests because he does not believe math competency is an important skill that journalists need in order to carry out their jobs.

“Journalism is primarily based on skills through writing, grammar and physical communication. Math skills are not a part of our forte,” he says. Cairns took the math competency test numerous times after forgetting details like adding dollar signs to numbers and writing his answers underneath the proper problems, he says. He does feel that mathematics is essential and said journalists have the ability to use their research skills in order to gain mathematical information elsewhere. “That’s why we interview experts,” he says.

A 1996 report by the Society of Professional Journalists showed that 58 percent of job applicants interviewed by broadcast news directors lacked an adequate understanding of statistical materials, such as municipal budgets. The Poynter Institute believes journalists should be competent in the ability to calculate percentages and ratios among other things in order to translate these numbers into terms that readers can understand.

Double major in journalism and criminal justice, freshman Amanda Eisenberg says that knowing basic math skills is important when working in different journalistic fields for niche audiences. “If you can’t find an average, it’s going to be hard to write for the business beat. Money is connected to everything, even if it’s not business,” she says.

Deborah Potter, a former CBS and CNN correspondent, asserts that math literacy is a determinant of credibility to audiences. “The biggest reason you need to know math as a journalist is so you won’t be easily fooled. Your audience expects you to sort fact from fantasy,” she said in a Poynter article titled “Why Math Matters.” Potter believes it is not enough to simply know how to do basic math problems, but that the ability to analyze numbers and what they mean can enhance news stories.

Along with the math competency test, the college also requires students to take an upper-level statistics course, which junior Nicko Duchesne thinks is not enough. The journalism and economics double major believes students should be challenged beyond basic mathematical skills and believes the journalism school should provide more advanced upper-level math courses.

“It’s important for journalism students to have some mathematical literacy, which the statistics requirement provides. I do think, however, that the J-school could offer specialized courses in data management for those who hope to pursue those sorts of reporting techniques,” he says. Duchesne also believes an upper-level computer skills course focused on analyzing and manipulating data would be beneficial to student journalists.

The Philip Merrill College of Journalism will further mandate the math competency test and other math-related courses if it believes students will profit from them. But one can be sure that as long as local budgets and markets exist, journalists will need further knowledge of mathematics.