There Is a 95% Chance You Should Attend this Session on Statistics
E2) There Is a 95% Chance You Should Attend this Session on Statistics
If you are a science journalist—and we think there is a high probability that you are—you will encounter research with “statistically significant” findings. Some of us regularly report on studies—in fields ranging from genetics to seismology—that tout p-values below 0.05. But what does that really mean? And how do we explain it to our readers?
This session will feature a panel of experts and journalists who are professionals at demystifying statistics. They will guide you through the basics and help you avoid the pitfalls of reporting on statistics. You will see examples of how both scientists and journalists can get it wrong, and you will learn what a p-value is (and what it is not), how to recognize overhyped claims, and why some of the very things that make a study newsworthy should also make it suspicious.
Everyone is welcome! Regardless of your background or prior understanding of statistics, you will come away with the tools to be a more statistically savvy journalist. It might even be fun.
