Main Errors and Inaccuracies in the Articles on Demographic Topics in the Media

Section: Modern Journalism: Subjects and Issues

The topic of demography in recent years excites a lot of discussion among politicians, economists and sociologists. These discussions are reflected in the media including on the Internet: the articles addresses issues of fertility and maternity capital, mortality and health, migration and the labor market. However in these articles it is possible to detect certain errors and inaccuracies which are associated with the use of demographic indicators and their interpretation. This article conducted a content analysis of the Russian Internet editions (mass media), contains the basic errors in these publications in terms of major demographic processes and categories, and the classification of those errors. We have found five types of errors and inaccuracies: the discrepancy of reality, stylistic inaccuracies, inaccuracies in the wording, errors and inaccuracies of interpretation of demographic processes, inaccuracies of use of indicators and terms. Although crude rates are mostly used in the media due to their plainness, for comparison between regions and for a time it is essential to use special demographic indicators such as age-standardized mortality rate, life expectancy, total fertility rate and other. The article would be useful not only to journalists and to the main newsmakers in the person of officials, but also to students who write essays and abstracts on the subject of demography, and to all of them who feel a lack of demographic knowledge.

References:

Andreev E. M. (1982) Metod komponent v analize prodolzhitel‘nosti zhizni [Component Method in Analysis of Life Expectancy]. Vestnik statistiki 9: 42-47. (In Russian)

Andreev E. M., Shkolnikov V. M., Begun A. Z. (2002) Algorithm for decomposition of differences between aggregate demographic measures and its application to life expectancies, healthy life expectancies, parity-progression ratios and total fertility rates. Demographic Research 7 (14): 499-522. Available at: http://www.demographic-research.org/volumes/vol7/14/

Badurashvili I., Melle F., Vallen J. (2003) Pochemu menjaetsja sootnoshenie polov sredi novorozhdennyh v Kavkazskih stranah? [Why the Sex Ratio among Newborns is Changing in the Caucasian Countries]. Demoscope Weekly: 131–132. (In Russian). Available at: http://www.demoscope.ru/%20weekly/2015/0625/tema01.php

Zakharov S. V. (2015) Braki i razvody v sovremennoj Rossii [Marriages and divorces in modern Russia]. Demoscope Weekly: 625–626. (In Russian). Available at: http://www.demoscope.ru/weekly/2015/0625/tema01.php