Newspaper Comparisons

Newspaper Comparisons

Introduction

For this statistical coursework I will compare the length of words in

tabloid and broadsheet newspapers. My sources are 'The Sun' (a

tabloid) and 'The Times' (a broadsheet).

Predictions / Hypotheses

* Broadsheets, on average, use long words, while tabloid newspapers

generally contain shorter words than broadsheets.

* Tabloids have a wider variation in the number of letters per word

than broadsheets

* The most common (modal) number of letters per word for a

broadsheet is between 5 and 8, while the most common number of

letters per word in a tabloid is between 4 and 7.

Testing Method

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My results should be fair and accurate. I intend to use a systematic

sampling system to ensure this. I will record the number of letters

per word from 50 words from each paper. I have chosen this number

because it is a sensible round number of a size that should supply me

with reliable, accurate results. I will use every third word (I chose

this number by rolling a dice). I will use the same article in both

newspapers to make sure that I do not use any news stories that could

contain abnormally long or short words.

Results

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I will record my results using a tally chart:

The Sun

Letters

(x)

Tallies

Frequency

(f)

fx

1

1

1

2

5

10

3

10

30

4

11

44

5

6

30

6

5

30

7

5

35

8

1

8

9

5

45

10

1

10

11

0