Numbers can be a hugely powerful but equally dangerous reporting tool

The apparent definitiveness of data can also make it especially deceptive

A quick scan of press releases in my inbox today apparently “reveals” that 47 per cent of people spend five hours a week cleaning their home, half of the UK population thinks money is the biggest taboo of all (really?) and two thirds of estate agents think Jeremy Corbyn is a bigger threat to the country than a no-deal Brexit (who cares?).

This is, perhaps appropriately, not a representative sample but I could point to countless similar examples that illustrate exactly how to use data badly. Most are based on small, flimsy surveys carried out by organisations with a vested commercial interest.

Yet, when deployed correctly, numbers are among the most important tools we have for telling stories.