Graphs in the COVID-19 news: a mathematics audit of newspapers in Korea
Oh Nam Kwon, Chaereen Han, Changsuk Lee, Kyung Won Lee, Kyeongjun Kim, Gyeongha Jo, Gangwon Yoon
Abstract
Visual displays in the news media become critical during escalating events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, as they facilitate the communication of complex information to the public. This article investigates the use of graphs in Korea's news media during the COVID-19 outbreak. We selected 12 dates that represent turning points in the outbreak of the disease and collected news stories including graphs from seven Korean daily newspapers issued on those dates. First, we analyzed the usage of graphs in COVID-19 news stories. Quantitative analysis of the types and frequency of graphs used in COVID-19 news stories and qualitative analysis of the content of news stories containing graphs were conducted. Second, we identified cases in which readers may be biased by the mathematical misuse of graphs in the news stories covering COVID-19. The implications of these findings for future teaching and learning of graph literacy in school mathematics courses are discussed.