This is the first edition of “Ctrl + ←,” a data journalism roundup we’ll do at the end of each week. Here, you can find the most-read FiveThirtyEight articles of the week (“ICYMI”), as well as data-driven pieces — and a few other gems — from elsewhere on the Internet.
ICYMI
- What States Are in the Midwest?
- Clippers, Like Many Teams, Have Majority-Minority Fan Base
- Are White Republicans More Racist Than White Democrats?
- Which States Are in the South?
- The Story Behind the Worst Movie on IMDb
- Diversity in the NBA, the NFL And MLB
- Here’s Every Client Don Draper Ever Had
- Inequality in College Towns
- Baseball Finally Remembers How Good Albert Pujols Can Be
- A Mostly Unknown Pitcher May Be Among Baseball’s Best
Elsewhere on the Internet
Wasteful meetings: If you work in the corporate world, it may not surprise you that some meetings squander countless hours. Well, not quite countless; the Harvard Business Review counted those miserable hours at one large, unnamed company, showing how much time was wasted and why.
Trends and inevitability: Using income inequality as the case in point, The Upshot’s David Leonhardt eloquently explains how even the most consistent of increases isn’t necessarily the most unavoidable.
The courage to move: Gallup asked 600 adults in each state whether they would move out of state if they could. Gallup then asked whether they were planning to move in the next 12 months. Respondents in Connecticut were the most likely to want to leave, but those in Nevada were the most likely to really be planning a change of scene.
Regional unemployment: Vox peeked under the hood of average unemployment, succinctly showing the huge variation between counties in the United States.
35 across: Silver screen name: Anyone who thought FiveThirtyEight and The New York Times parted with cross words was proven wrong Friday.
Past it: Deadspin invited readers to “feel old” this week with a great little interactive that allows you to see just how many professional athletes are younger than you. Click at the risk of losing your weekend vibe.
U.S. executions: Though we’re not big fans of promising “everything you ever wanted to know about X, in one chart,” this is an example of a graphic that communicates a lot of information in not too many pixels.
Media censorship: Freedom House published its annual Freedom of the Press index, showing press freedom has reached its lowest level in a decade, largely because of setbacks in Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Turkey and Ukraine.