Opinion

"Data is like any other source. Documents have errors, and people we interview sometimes lie to us. So it is with data. The best we can do is try to verify it from independent sources, and then attribute the source of the data we use. If we later learn there are problems or errors in the data we used, we write follow-up stories that correct the errors and expose the source of them. Whether the source is chronic carelessness, underfunding of the collecting of the data, or outright cooking the books, it can be a good story."

Stephen Doig, journalist, professor of journalism at Arizona State University. Knight Center MOOC: Investigative Journalism for the Digital Age professor. Consultant to print and broadcast news media.