Journalism: Switch 2 Data Mode

Traditional forms of media, such as print and television, are becoming progressively less popular as much of the new generation has turned to the internet as their main source of information. Not only can people access the news on their computers, but they can also access it on their mobile phones and tablets, without any hassle. I almost expect the news to be pushed to me on Facebook, Twitter, email etc. Such possibilities have created a worldwide audience that expects news on a variety of platforms, almost instantaneously. Thus, journalism has also advanced towards being data based (data journalism) to keep up with the new day and age. Both data and journalism are not actually simple though. When we think of data, we think of numbers; however this is not actually the case...

Online journalism today now requires an appreciation of the importance of data, of facts and figures, by all journalists. The ways in which data is used to tell stories has changed drastically with the advancement of digital journalism. Data and numbers are manipulated by journalists to get them the results significant to them. These days, journalists are required to have specialist skills, to do with coding and development, or numeracy and understanding especially if they are writing stories that will be published online. At the same time they are still required to find and tell stories in a clear and simple manner.

I think this is very much to do with the visual storytelling. Graphics and other types of data help a journalists tell their story, especially with online news; many people tend not to read online articles word for word. Instead, they look for visuals that help them quickly grasp an idea of what the article is trying to say. This can be done using pictures, audio and videos, not just graphics.

‘An awareness of how social media works and how social networks relate to news’ has become a key factor in digital journalism as stated by BBC News editor Steve Herrmann. Journalists are now required to understand exactly how to use social networks for newsgathering ‘and to understand how to leverage social media to find out things, to get in contact with people, to talk to people and to spot trends’.

One noteworthy type of data we should consider is live data that is not actually stored anywhere, rather, will be produced at a particular time. One example of this is the way in which newspapers are increasingly using Twitter commentary to provide eyewitness accounts or context to a particular debate. Take for example a plane crash, an earthquake, a flood or a terrorist attack, any breaking news that takes place in a community, anyone who has seen and experienced the news event will tweet about it. One of the biggest challenges faced by journalists in covering such news is always trying to find people who have witnessed the event or were affected by it. If a journalist uses Twitter’s advanced search feature, then they are able to quickly find and connect with these people and are able to get interviews, and quotes, or even able to embed their tweets into their stories. 

'Idol' star Elliott Yamin 'tweets' real-time reports from earthquake-ravaged Chile (2010):

 

(Image source) 

As part of the Guardian’s coverage of Tony Blair’s appearance at the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq War, they used the data of thousands of ‘tweets’ to provide a ‘sentiment analysis timeline of how people reacted to the particular parts of his evidence as it went on’. There have been many other timelines like the one just discussed being produced for political debates and speeches to measure public reactions on certain issues. Social media is also now an excellent way for journalists to get their own work and own journalism out as a means of distribution.

However, I do believe that the news media are struggling to keep up with the demands of online readers. Journalists are being pressured to publish news online as soon as it happens; even if that means that what they are publishing may be of poor quality. They are expected to tweet live from events. They also have to compete with bloggers, and the general public. Now more than ever, the audience is playing a vital role. They can produce, demand, and fund news as they please, once they find it that is!