In 2020, the ASA’s Count on Stats initiative collaborated with its partners and other key organizations to improve journalists’ understanding of federal statistical agency resources and how they can use federal data to enhance their news stories.

First, the ASA worked with the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing (SABEW) to host two webinars offering training opportunities for reporters seeking to better understand federal data as they cover economy-related stories in their communities.

The webinar “Local Economic Stories Using Data from the BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages” on June 4 featured moderator Kimberly Adams, correspondent at Marketplace; Paul Overberg, data reporter at The Wall Street Journal; and David Hiles, supervisory economist at the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Panelists shared best practices for using county data to report on various economic stories affecting local industries.

During a second SABEW webinar, “Using Census Data to Tell Stories About the People and Businesses in Your Communities,” on October 8, journalists learned how to use the Census Business Builder tool and other relevant data sets to develop news stories about COVID-19’s effect on American households and businesses. Featured experts included moderator Olivera Perkins, an award-winning business journalist and contributor to fact-checking site Lead Stories; panelist Andrew Hait, US Census Bureau data product and data user liaison; panelist MaryJo Webster, data journalist for the Star Tribune in Minneapolis. 

In addition to the SABEW webinars, ASA sponsored a free training with The National Press Foundation on June 30. This training session helped journalists better understand and analyze the statistics included in the latest Bureau of Labor of Statistics jobs report. Erica Groshen, former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner and ASA fellow, explained how the bureau aims to protect the data’s integrity and addressed how employment statistics could be politicized and distorted.

These webinars were attended by 207 reporters and data journalism advocates.

Journalists are key to helping the country navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on our economy, public health, and education system. The ASA will continue to share federal statistical agency resources to empower reporters as they inform and educate the public about the critical issues facing our nation.