Not long ago, I was asked to provide some resources for reporters when tangling with math (particularly the numbers involved in county and municipal budgets) in their stories.
The Net is a great source of information with sites dedicated specifically for this purpose.
When it comes to local budgets its important to remember what a former boss of mine used to call the “pocketbook issues”.
It’s one thing to tell readers that millage in their community will increase next year. It’s another to tell them how much more they will be paying on their real estate taxes or at least how much they will increase for the average homeowner in the community.
Be similarly specific when dealing with sales, per capita or income tax increases. These specifics are what most people pick up a local newspaper for in the first place.
Here are a set of online resources to help math challenged English and Journalism majors with the most likely math issues you’ll come across when reporting the news:
- Numbers in the newsroom. A great site for figuring rates, percentages, percentage changes and averages. Don’t EVER leave readers to figure these out for themselves.
- Math and statistics for journalists. This website focuses heavily on rations and percentages with additional resources and even math drills to test proficiency.
- A definition of millage. Remember here to always ask a local municipality for what a mill represents based on local property values. It will vary. To report a tax increase simply ask what the assessed value of an average house in the community would be and how much taxes would increase on such a home.
- A chart to calculate property tax. This site goes at things a bit differently giving a chart to help calculate property tax. Remember, the success of using such a chart will depend upon determining the amount of a mill in your community.
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