Statistics in the news

European Commission Eurostat

Description

A guide to news media relations for national statistical offices in transition
Science and technology
Relations with non-member countries

Informations

• Publié par: EUROPEAN-COMMISSION-EUROSTAT
• Nombre de lectures: 7
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 14 Mo

Extrait

Statistics in
the news
A guide to news media relations for national
statistical offices in transition
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HOW CENTRAL & EASTERN EUROPE b°. has a low ra,,. , *0 V "­26>· GREECE
higher i(,an .h COMPARES WITH EU & USA
; « » the nigh»« a?îM°T'„"""■ "«Wo Slovenia and Czech Republic one­third USA levei, Moldova one­tenth
7) aid FRANCE (i 73, Next "'West are
Of 15 Central and Eastern European countries, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and
Slovakia have the highest GDP per person in purchasing power terms.
Wen Commune . », ,
However, they are below the EU's lowest­ranking countries and, in the case of Hungary and "r Population ,
Slovakia, a quarter of the level of such countries as the USA and Switzerland. Bottom of the list is
Moldova, with GDP per person a quarter of the level of Slovenia and one­twelfth that of Luxem­
bourg.
The report* issued today is based on the results of the 1993 European Comparison
Programme (ECP), conducted jointly by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European
Communities in Luxembourg ­ the Austrian Central Statistical Office, Statistics Finland, OECD
and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. It compares GDP per person in
purchasing power terms in the 15 Central and Eastern European countries in relation to 24
developed nations, including the 15 of the £U.
The resulting index is based on Austria = 100. using this country as a "bridge" between East
and West The calculations are based on purchasing power parities (PPP) to eliminate the
distorting effects due to price level differences between various countries and allow a comparison
of the order of magnitude of economic activity in each country.
' EUROSTAT, Statistics in focus, Economy and finance, No 4 «996, Purchasing power
parities for Central and Eastern Europe: a comparison in real terms of GDP for 39
countries.
L
eurostat Designed in Scotland by Gill J Laird Statistics in
the news
A guide to news media relations for national
statistical offices in transition
by John Wright
eurostat Cataloguing data can be found at the end of this publication
Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 1997
ISBN 92-827-8287-5
© ECSC-EC-EAEC, Brussels · Luxembourg, 1997
Reproduction is authorized, except for commercial purposes, provided the source is
acknowledged
Printed in Germany This publication is designed as a guide to best practice in news media relations for
national statistical offices of countries in transition to a market economy. The advice
and views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of Eurostat or
the European Commission.
THE AUTHOR
ohn Wright was Head of News level. He was Deputy Chief of Public
Media Relations for the United Relations of the Ministry of Defence in J Kingdom Central Statistical Office the mid-80s and subsequently Head of
from 1989 to 1992. He was then Information of the Cabinet Office. He
seconded to Eurostat in Luxembourg to served an earlier spell in the CSO ( 1974-
establish and develop a press service. He 78) as Chief Press Officer.
left at the end of 1995 and is now a
consultant in news media relations, based He has a particular interest in
in Oxford. helping statistical offices in transition
countries to develop effective news media
He began his career as a journalist relations, and in February 1996 directed
and then for 28 years was a news media a Training for European Statisticians
specialist in the UK Government course on this subject for representatives
Information Service, rising to a senior of 12 Central and Eastern European
countries.
m
eurostat Statistics in
the news
Introduction
wo significant trends of recent statistical offices must learn to use the
history have been the burgeoning media to reach the millions of people who Τ of democracy ­ especially and depend on newspapers, television and
most gratifyingly in the countries of the radio as their main ­ and often only ­
former Soviet bloc ­ and of the source of information about the world
"information society". In a sense these around them.
are trends that go hand in hand:
information ­ people's desire to know the The news media also play a major
truth about their country and beyond ­ role in protecting statistical offices from
fuels the democratic process; democracy political interference. Once release
is in significant part based on the flow of procedures are established and
information and access to it. promulgated ­ perhaps by law or simply
by acknowledged precedent ­ then the
media can assume a role as protector of Statistics play a key role in all this.
the public interest in seeing there is no They demonstrate the health of a country
political manipulation. in so many respects, both economic and
social. They show the population how
well or badly their Government is So, it is self­evident that the
managing the essentials. They highlight relationship between a national statistical
welcome developments, disturbing trends office and the news media is a pivotal one.
­ nationally as well as in organisations It is one to be developed carefully and
such as the European Union. protected jealously by statisticians
everywhere.
Many people think statistics are as
dry as dust. In fact, they are part of the This relationship is what this book
lifeblood of society ­ and a cornerstone is all about. It is written especially for
of democracy. And they are destined to countries that are still in the process of
become more and more important as we developing their statistical systems. It
enter the 21 st century, as the information brings together a wealth of experience in
society achieves even greater this field in an attempt to suggest a model
significance. of best practice. There are many ways of
dealing with the media and particular
national circumstances can influence Governments know the power of
these. So it is difficult to be prescriptive statistics. Even in the most advanced
about the best way. But there are certain democracies the temptation for them to
basic rules and these are discussed in the try to influence the public presentation
following pages. of key data for some perceived short­term
gain can be overwhelming. This makes
the independence of official statistics I hope that this publication will be
from the political process vital for the of some assistance to those national
well­being of democracy. statistical offices in transition who I know
realise the importance of establishing a
The best way to safeguard successful relationship with the press. I
statistical independence is to bring wish them well on the road ahead ­ and
knowledge and appreciation of statistics look forward to reading about their
to the attention of as many people as statistics in my newspaper!
possible. This is where the news media
play a vital role: only they have the power
and influence ­ and today this power is Yves Franchet
immense and increasing ­ to reach out to Director-General
the public at large. And this is why Eurostat
HZ 'Ù
eurostat Statistics in
the news
Contents Page
CHAPTER 1
Importance of good news media relations
Some fundamentals 5
Public confidence is vital
The European Commission's view 6
What the news media think
A difficult path to tread: statistics, politics & the media 7
In summary 9
CHAPTER 2
Establishing an effective news media service
What are you going to issue to the news media? 11
How are you going to issue it? 12
Know your media3
The international dimension
Logistics - the "nuts & bolts"4
Measuring success5
And finally6
A journalist's view
Not us and them7
What is news? 1
Looking for records - highest, lowest
Statistics & policy8
Making a journalist's job easier
Journalists are suspicious
You're not dealing