The Society makes awards for statistical excellence in
journalism each year. The awards are made to those who question,
analyse and investigate the issues that affect society through
statistics.
The 2008 awards recognise work published in the period 1
January 2007 to 30 September 2007.
This year's winners in each category are:
Broadcast
BBC Radio 4's The World Tonight
3 September 2007 broadcast on the estimation of conflict
death tolls, particularly Iran and Darfur, and the differing
responses of politicians to these figures.
"The programme gave a valuable insight into the power of
modern statistical methods."
Society President, Professor David Hand
Society President, Professor David Hand
Print/Online Articles
1st prize - Chris Giles, Financial Times
Lies, Damn Lies and Befuddlement, 27 July 2007
looked at the difficulties facing official statisticians in
compiling measures to capture the value of the business
sector.
"The article has made an important contribution by
highlighting the challenges faced by statisticians in defining and
choosing what will be measured, and the impact those decisions
make."
Society Vice-President, Professor Sheila Bird
Joint 2nd prize Peter Aldhous, New
Scientist
Sex Offenders: Throwing Away the Key, 24
February 2007 analysed the controversial issue of indefinite
detention of sex offenders in the US justice system.
Joint 2nd prize - Martin Wolf, Financial
Times
The New Capitalism, 19 June 2007 discussed the
transformation of the world's financial system in recent
decades.
Judges looked for entries that achieved one or more of the
following:
- Raise awareness and understanding of statistics and their use
- Enable greater public understanding of statistics
- Source and use statistics to investigate a societal issue that influences public opinion
- Use statistics to challenge or change the policies of public or private bodies
Unified Solutions.