Comments on: How to write Killer Facts and Graphics – what are your best examples? http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=10593 duncan green poverty to power oxfam development Tue, 21 May 2013 15:45:19 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 hourly 1 By: Duncan http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=10593&cpage=1#comment-274126 Duncan Sun, 04 Nov 2012 15:00:47 +0000 http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=10593#comment-274126 should be links to the KFs in my blog post Wolfgang. Major multilateral reports (WDR, Human Development Report, Global Monitoring Reports etc). They're all pretty good at KFs now! should be links to the KFs in my blog post Wolfgang. Major multilateral reports (WDR, Human Development Report, Global Monitoring Reports etc). They’re all pretty good at KFs now!

]]> By: Wolfgang http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=10593&cpage=1#comment-274025 Wolfgang Sun, 04 Nov 2012 10:27:03 +0000 http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=10593#comment-274025 Dear Mr. Green, you must be rather busy – may I have short question anyway? I am looking for a website or information source providing killer facts (as you call them) which illustrate international „(non)-efforts“ to achieve the UN MDGs (comparing against spent on Ice cream, military budgets etc- all the things politicians may say „one can not really compare“). But the facts need to come with very solid references and absolutely reliable sources which are missing in 99% of the cases (see the table in your blog?!). Any hints? Thank you very much! Yours, sincerely Wolfgang Dear Mr. Green,

you must be rather busy – may I have short question anyway?

I am looking for a website or information source providing killer facts (as you call them) which illustrate international „(non)-efforts“ to achieve the UN MDGs (comparing against spent on Ice cream, military budgets etc- all the things politicians may say „one can not really compare“).

But the facts need to come with very solid references and absolutely reliable sources which are missing in 99% of the cases (see the table in your blog?!).
Any hints?
Thank you very much!

Yours, sincerely
Wolfgang

]]> By: Duncan http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=10593&cpage=1#comment-183843 Duncan Wed, 11 Jul 2012 07:57:46 +0000 http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=10593#comment-183843 Well if you just make it up, you will get caught, eventually (and spend the intervening time worrying about when you will get caught, which is very stressful)....... Well if you just make it up, you will get caught, eventually (and spend the intervening time worrying about when you will get caught, which is very stressful)…….

]]> By: Dr. Hillary John http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=10593&cpage=1#comment-183838 Dr. Hillary John Wed, 11 Jul 2012 07:36:59 +0000 http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=10593#comment-183838 The question is, do you really need to do a research before labelling it as a killer fact? The question is, do you really need to do a research before labelling it as a killer fact?

]]> By: Daria http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=10593&cpage=1#comment-177458 Daria Fri, 29 Jun 2012 11:20:01 +0000 http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=10593#comment-177458 Duncan, I would add to the classification a type 'yes, but'. Although this type probably would have overlaps with the other types, I would say it deserves a separate category. It is precisely the kind of killer facts that we are using here in Russia, and I would assume that this is smth that is used in China, and a range of other MICs countries. In the context, when you're dealing with 'unwilling' government, and when this government is your main advocacy target, your killer facts will have to inevitably incorporate some sort of recognition of that government's success. For example, in the poverty brief that I recently wrote for our domestic programme, I used the following statement 'while absolute poverty rate in Russia decreased from 29% to 13% between 2000 and 2011, today, 18,000,000 Russians still live in poverty'. Duncan, I would add to the classification a type ‘yes, but’. Although this type probably would have overlaps with the other types, I would say it deserves a separate category. It is precisely the kind of killer facts that we are using here in Russia, and I would assume that this is smth that is used in China, and a range of other MICs countries. In the context, when you’re dealing with ‘unwilling’ government, and when this government is your main advocacy target, your killer facts will have to inevitably incorporate some sort of recognition of that government’s success. For example, in the poverty brief that I recently wrote for our domestic programme, I used the following statement ‘while absolute poverty rate in Russia decreased from 29% to 13% between 2000 and 2011, today, 18,000,000 Russians still live in poverty’.

]]> By: Martin http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=10593&cpage=1#comment-175821 Martin Mon, 25 Jun 2012 16:21:35 +0000 http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=10593#comment-175821 Here's a climate change killer fact that wasn't properly checked: http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserver/2012/jun/24/readers-editor-ice-climate?newsfeed=true Here’s a climate change killer fact that wasn’t properly checked: http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserver/2012/jun/24/readers-editor-ice-climate?newsfeed=true

]]> By: Pete http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=10593&cpage=1#comment-175713 Pete Mon, 25 Jun 2012 13:02:42 +0000 http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=10593#comment-175713 I was surprised at the maternal mortality rate in Nigeria killer fact in your blog ("A woman’s risk of dying from pregnancy-related causes ranges from 1 in18 in Nigeria") - so I checked it. The good news is that it is out of date. Depending on sources of information, the maternal mortality ratio is between: 630 deaths per 100,000 - using 2010 data from http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.STA.MMRT 840 deaths per 100,000 - using 2008 data from the CIA fact book - http://www.indexmundi.com/nigeria/maternal_mortality_rate.html Combined with a fertility rate of about 5 births per woman (again, sources vary from 4.8 to 5.6), gives a typical woman a 1 in 32 risk of dying, at the 2010 figure given by the world bank, or a 1:24 risk with the CIA 2008 figure. Still way too high of course, but as John says, killer facts ought to be updated, and it still remains shocking. (A simple way to halve the risk would be to have half as many children - or maybe life's not that simple...) NB Life expectancy at birth in Nigerial is still lower for men than women (men 46.8 years, women 48.4 years, indexmund, 2011 estimate), so it's still safer to be a Mum than a Dad? But this is adding context to a killer fact - which is surely goes against the whole point of it being a killer fact in the first place? I was surprised at the maternal mortality rate in Nigeria killer fact in your blog (”A woman’s risk of dying from pregnancy-related causes ranges from 1 in18 in Nigeria”) – so I checked it.

The good news is that it is out of date. Depending on sources of information, the maternal mortality ratio is between:
630 deaths per 100,000 – using 2010 data from http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.STA.MMRT
840 deaths per 100,000 – using 2008 data from the CIA fact book – http://www.indexmundi.com/nigeria/maternal_mortality_rate.html

Combined with a fertility rate of about 5 births per woman (again, sources vary from 4.8 to 5.6), gives a typical woman a 1 in 32 risk of dying, at the 2010 figure given by the world bank, or a 1:24 risk with the CIA 2008 figure.

Still way too high of course, but as John says, killer facts ought to be updated, and it still remains shocking. (A simple way to halve the risk would be to have half as many children – or maybe life’s not that simple…)

NB Life expectancy at birth in Nigerial is still lower for men than women (men 46.8 years, women 48.4 years, indexmund, 2011 estimate), so it’s still safer to be a Mum than a Dad? But this is adding context to a killer fact – which is surely goes against the whole point of it being a killer fact in the first place?

]]> By: Duncan http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=10593&cpage=1#comment-174753 Duncan Fri, 22 Jun 2012 15:37:12 +0000 http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=10593#comment-174753 And if you work for Oxfam, you could earn <em>up to</em> a squillion pounds a year........ Thanks Pete, v sensible advice And if you work for Oxfam, you could earn up to a squillion pounds a year…….. Thanks Pete, v sensible advice

]]> By: Pete http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=10593&cpage=1#comment-174743 Pete Fri, 22 Jun 2012 15:25:25 +0000 http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=10593#comment-174743 Do not use "could" or "up to" in killer facts. These instantly take any credibility out the fact, after all, I could be run over by a bus travelling up to 80 mph this evening - but is it likely? Do not use “could” or “up to” in killer facts.

These instantly take any credibility out the fact, after all, I could be run over by a bus travelling up to 80 mph this evening – but is it likely?

]]> By: Duncan http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=10593&cpage=1#comment-174170 Duncan Thu, 21 Jun 2012 18:32:19 +0000 http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=10593#comment-174170 nope, it's '70% of the world's poor are women' - see http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=1797 for more nope, it’s ‘70% of the world’s poor are women’ – see http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=1797 for more

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