Facts are Sacred: The power of data

How many people have died in the war in Afghanistan, and what does that number really tell us? What is the actual impact of government spending cuts, and how did unrest in London spread so fast? This book takes those questions to the datablog run by the Guardian newspaper. The blog takes everyday information that is released in the name of openness and examines it closely, uncovering surprising truths about contemporary life. Here the strongest of those discoveries are gathered together, offering the numbers behind the headlines alongside an account of how data is changing the way we understand the world. Part reference, part argument, it shows what a news organisation can do with figures and offers a new way of looking at the information around us.