Effective Data Storytelling

Chapter 5 Data The Foundation of Your Data Story

“Data! Data! Data!” he cried impatiently. “I can’t make bricks without clay.”

—Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author

In 2015, a team of German researchers made an astounding discovery: eating chocolate could actually accelerate weight loss. The researchers ran a three-week clinical trial with a group of adults aged 19 to 67 who were assigned to one of three diet groups: a low-carbohydrate diet, a low-carb diet with a daily chocolate bar, and a control group. Head research director of the Institute of Diet and Health Dr. Johannes Bohannon found people who were on a low-carb diet lost weight 10% faster when they consumed dark chocolate on a daily basis. The team’s research paper was published in the International Archives of Medicine, and the findings were mentioned in several media outlets such as the German newspaper Bild, the UK’s Daily Star, the Irish Examiner, and many others (see Figure 5.1).

Figure 5.1 Multiple news publications featured the German researchers’ findings on the health benefits of chocolate.

However, the research was actually part of an elaborate hoax for a documentary film on junk science. The producers of the film wanted to show how easy it was to turn bad science into headlines for fad diets. Dr. Johannes Bohannon is actually John Bohannon, a science journalist. He does have a PhD in molecular ...