Speeding Up and Slowing Down Public Quantitative Writing

Written Communication Jan 2026

Speeding Up and Slowing Down Public Quantitative Writing

Daniel Libertz Baruch College ; Zachary Muhlbauer The Graduate Center, CUNY

Abstract

This article explores how public writers view rhetorical decisions in their use of quantitative information to educate, inform, and move audiences toward action. Using the concept of “statistical framing” to describe how writers signal evaluations of numbers to their readers, we set out to learn how these writers connected their rhetorical goals to how they framed quantitative information. We interviewed 14 writers using the discourse-based interview method and found that, for various reasons, writers valued speeding up and slowing down evaluations of numbers.

Journal: Written Communication
Published: 2026-01-01
DOI: 10.1177/07410883251394090
Open Access: Closed
Topics: quantitative research

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Cites in this index (6)

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