IDV Story Analysis

Opioid Data

The opioid crisis is an ever growing problem in our nation. It seems as if no one can offer a real solution to the problem.

The issue with this is that there are people suffering throughout the country. People who are mostly elderly.

In a recent article by the KFF. Data is shown showing the characteristics of opioid sufferers.

[embed]The Opioid Epidemic and Medicaid's Role in Facilitating Access to Treatment In 2016, 1.9 million nonelderly adults in the United States had an opioid addiction. Medicaid covers 4 in 10 nonelderly…www.kff.org

This article is very detailed and showcases the different types of people suffering from opioid addiction. One issue of this article however is the data.

The data though aesthetically pleasing in color, is not organized in a way that is easy to understand. The data should be easy to read at a glance. the categories within the pie charts are divided into groups, but the groups overlap. Ages from 18–64, 34–49, and 50–64 are all groups. The data is mixed with no clear view of what demographic fits where.

This article though informative on the issue, is not one for everyday readers. This article is intentionally formatted for a more educated audience. This excludes readers who may not understand the technical terms and jargon.

Not all of the numbers are represented well either. They toss percentages into the data, without explanation.

If you are looking to use data in a story it needs to be defined clearly and with an audience in mind. There needs to be a purpose for all of the data used and make sure the readers can understand the article as a whole.