-The Hindu Analysing data without providing sufficient context is dangerous An inherent challenge in journalism is to meet deadlines without compromising on quality, while sticking to the word limit. However, brevity takes a toll when it comes to reporting on surveys, indexes, and big data. Let me examine three sets of stories which were based on surveys and carried prominently by this newspaper, to understand the limits of presenting data without providing...

-The Pioneer Ranchi (Jharkhand): Annual Status of Education Report (ASER-2017) released on Tuesday covering 28 districts of 24 States on ‘Beyond Basics’- A survey of rural India youths, presented a gloomy picture of Jharkhand on a few basic parameters in comparison with the districts of Bihar, Odisha, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh. The survey based on 4 As (Activity, Ability, Awareness, Aspirations) covering the age group 14-18 years, Jharkhand lags behind in enrollment...

-Mumbai Mirror A behind the scenes look at what’s driving the region’s return to traditional paddy techniques. It’s certainly not the global shift towards organic cultivation. A recent study conducted by Harvard University has established that consuming just one cup of white rice (polished rice) a day can put you at risk of diabetes, regardless of your nationality or whether you have a family history of the disease. Bhairav Saini lives in...

-The Hindu 'The buyers are tendering Rs. 1,000 notes, which is difficult for us to accept' North 24 Parganas: By about 4 a.m. all shops – about 170 – were open on both sides of an unkempt asphalt road. The shops that were selling fish at a wholesale rate were chock-a-block by 5 a.m.. But many of them were not engaging with the trading. They were small rural fish farmers and sellers, big...

-The Hindu A systematic attempt is being made in several West Bengal districts to evict sharecroppers from land, despite the legal protection West Medinipur: At Jamirarah village, Srikanta Hansda points to two double-storey houses in the shadow of which his home — a rough mud dwelling with an asbestos clerestory roof — squats: “Those are the homes of the Ghosh family. They own Annapurna Bhandar, a well-known grocery store in Medinipur city...