Press officers to be given data to back up speeches – will journalists be able to interrogate it?

Full Fact report that the Department of Health is to give press officers data so they can field press enquiries about claims made in ministerial speeches:

“An internal ‘data document’ will provide press officers with links to sources for each factual claim made in a speech, as well as contact details for the official or analyst who provided the information.”

It’s an important move, and given that it comes in response to a body  (the UK Statistics Authority) which has also rebuked other arms of government for misusing stats, you might expect other departments to follow.

Of course, it relies on journalists being aware that this exists, being willing to ask for the data, and able to interrogate it (or its author). Another on the list for the case for data literacy.

3 thoughts on “Press officers to be given data to back up speeches – will journalists be able to interrogate it?

  1. Pingback: Press officers to be given data to back up speeches – will journalists be able to interrogate it? | Liquid Newsroom

  2. Pingback: Ethical Journalism Newsletter: September 11, 2015 - Ethical Journalism Network

  3. Pingback: Ethical Journalism Newsletter: September 11, 2015 - Ethical Journalism Network

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