Math is everywhere, from science to technology to polling data, but it is often not covered well in the media, said Jordana Cepelewicz, senior writer at Quanta Magazine, during a recent ICFJ Global Crisis Reporting Forum webinar on how to apply mathematical insights into your reporting.
“Math is all around us, from an AI model, to how cryptocurrency works, to how an infectious disease spreads,” said Cepelewicz. “There is a lot of experimentation and creativity in math.”
Journalists do not need to have a math background to incorporate math into their reporting. Here are some tips Cepelewicz suggests for how to best communicate mathematics in journalism:
What is math journalism?
Math stories aren’t frequently written, but it’s not for a lack of content. “Math is a very active area of research. That means there are lots of discoveries that are happening that experts find exciting, interesting and important,” said Cepelewicz. She describes three main types of mathematical reporting: explanatory pieces, data-driven investigative pieces and profiles.
Explanatory stories are used to contextualize and illuminate mathematical discoveries in terms of day-to-day application and relevance in the real world. Mathematical models used by epidemiologists, for instance, were a crucial factor in reporting on and understanding case counts and rate of transmission during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The understanding of pure math concepts can [therefore] be really important to make sense of topics that become relevant,” said Cepelewicz.
Data driven pieces allow journalists to draw conclusions or create a story from data patterns. Reporting on environmental and policing pieces requires journalists to analyze vast sets of data to find a story, which are skills journalists sometimes need to develop. For example, a journalist might look at data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to find patterns in cancer causing pollutants in various states, or how migration patterns are affected by climate change.
Finally, profiles give insights into mathematicians themselves, such as exploring their personal story and how it relates to their research. Last year, Cepelewicz wrote a profile on mathematician Jun Huh, winner of the prestigious Field Award, who described math as an extension of poetry and dropped out of school to pursue poetry.
How to approach a story
It’s not hard for journalists to find a mathematical angle to a story, if they know where to look. “It’s possible to extract something mathematical from pretty much anything you are reading or hearing about,” Cepelewicz said.
“But how do you find a good math idea?” she continued. “You start by just asking questions. If you are hearing about something, pay attention to what sparks your curiosity.”
To find story ideas, Cepelewicz recommends getting in touch with mathematicians and asking them what they find interesting at the moment, even if it doesn’t result in an immediate story. Cepelewicz also regularly reads blogs by mathematicians or follows them on social media to source story ideas.
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