Numbers Turned Narrative: Reporting at the New York Times

• Activity Number: 267
• Type: Invited
• Date/Time: Tuesday, August 5, 2014 : 8:30 AM to 10:20 AM
• Sponsor: Committee on Excellence in Statistical Reporting
• Author(s): Alan Schwarz*+
• Companies: New York Times
• Keywords: journalism ; media ; concussions ; The New York Times

Abstract

Alan Schwarz, a Pulitzer-nominated National Correspondent for The New York Times, discusses how his lifelong love of mathematics led to his career of award-winning journalism. Mr. Schwarz is best known for his series of more than 100 articles that brought national attention to the dangers of concussions in sports, and has generally been credited revolutionizing the respect and protocol for head injuries in almost every major youth and professional sport. (It has been called "the most remarkable feat in sports journalism history.) Now using his knowledge of probability to bring national attention to other public-health issues, Mr. Schwarz will also talk about numbers as narrative, and how he employs mathematical aesthetic in his ongoing work.