I don't think any journalist enjoys math. I certainly don't; however, everyone needs to know a little bit of math, and that includes journalists. These exercises helped me to refresh my math skills with certain situations in which it would be needed in stories.
September 17, 2009
1. The most important factor in the relationship between media and consumers is credibility.
2. The newsroom consists of a publisher, an editor, a managing editor, a city editor, section editors, a copy-desk chief, the copy desk's copy editors, a photo editor, a graphics editor and a web editor.
3. Diagram the flow of copy from the reporter through the copy-desk chief.
- Reporter - Gathers news, writes story, verifies its accuracy, forwards to city editor.
-City Editor - Edits story, returns to reporter, forwards to copy-desk chief.
- Copy-Desk Chief - Decides placement of story, prepares page, forwards to copy editor.
- Copy Editor - Polishes writing, checks for missing or inaccurate details, writes headlines, returns to copy-desk chief for final check.
- Copy-Desk Chief - verifies story, transmits story to page for printing.
4. List the segments of the three-step editing process.
- Read the story.
- Edit it thoroughly.
- Reread the story.
5. What are the three R's of copy editing?
- Reader-centered
- Readable
- Right
6. The difference between proofreading and copy editing is that proofreading stage is not the time to continue editing or rewriting — except in case of emergency.
7. The difference between macro-editing and micro-editing is that macro-editing is big picture editing, while micro-editing is editing with an eye toward the details.
8. Huntington City Council on Monday approved $435,000 for road repairs in the central city. The city's 2008 budget for repairs was $410,000.
A. The budget for repairs increased by $25,000.
435,000 - 410,000 = 25,000
B. The percentage of the increase was 1.1 percent.
435,000/410,000 = 1.1 percent
C. Last year's budget was 94.25 percent of this year's.
410,000 x 1000 = 41,000,000/435,000 = 94.25 percent
D. This year's budget is 106.1% of last year's.
435,000 x 100 = 43,500,000/410,000 = 106.1 percent
9. Mayor Bart Jones announced more bad news. The city plans to spend $5.25 million on bridge repairs, a cut of 35 percent from its $6.5 million budget.
- 5.25 x 100 = 525/6.5 = 80.8 percent
- The information in the sentence above is wrong. It is actually an 80.8 percent cut, not 35 percent.
10. These are the scores on a test in JMC 305: 100, 98, 95, 93, 93, 90, 88, 87, 87, 86, 85, 85, 84, 70.
- The mean score is 88 percent.
100 + 98 + 95 + 93 + 93 + 90 + 88 + 87 + 87 + 86 + 85 + 85 + 84 + 70 = 1.234/14 = 88
- The median score is 87.5 percent.
The middle score in the list is between 88 and 87, which would be 87.5 percent.
11. These are the scores on a test in JMC 360: 100, 98, 95, 93, 93, 90, 88, 87, 87, 86, 85, 85, 84.
- The mean score is 90 percent.
100 + 98 + 95 + 93 + 93 + 90 + 88 + 87 + 87 + 86 + 85 + 85 + 84 = 1,171/13 = 90
- The median score is 88 percent.
The middle score in the list is the 7th one if the scores are in order, which is 88 percent.
12. What would the sales tax be on a purchase of $7.80 if the state charges a 6 percent sales tax?
- The sales tax would be $.47, which would put the purchase price at $8.27.
7.80 x .06 = .47
7.80 + .47 = $8.27
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