What is data journalism at The Guardian?
Summary
TLDRThis transcript discusses the evolution of journalism, highlighting data journalism's significance. It emphasizes the importance of not just presenting data but analyzing it to uncover insights. The power of data in storytelling is underscored, with interactive maps and clear visuals as tools to enhance understanding and enjoyment. Transparency in data processing strengthens credibility, a critical aspect given journalists' low public trust. The Guardian is highlighted as a pioneer in data journalism, with a focus on making data accessible for public discourse, influencing policy, and driving evidence-based conversations. The summary concludes by noting the increasing importance of data in journalism due to the abundance of information and advanced analytical tools.
Takeaways
- đ° Traditional journalism focused on using words to create visual images, but modern journalism has evolved to include data journalism.
- đ Data journalism involves using key information sets and data to inform a story, emphasizing the importance of data processing and asking the right questions.
- đ It's not just about having data, but understanding what it reveals through analysis and interpretation.
- đŒïž Modern storytelling in journalism can include various formats like interactive maps and clear visuals, depending on the context.
- đ€ Public trust in journalists is low, but transparency in the data and its workings can strengthen the credibility of stories.
- đ Data journalism recognizes the power of measurement in public conversations and discourse, focusing on facts rather than opinions.
- đ The Guardian is highlighted as a pioneer in data journalism, with a history of data blogs and strong data visualization.
- đ The Guardian's approach to data journalism includes making data open for anyone to use, which is part of their daily operations and big projects.
- đ„ A variety of roles within an organization contribute to data journalism, from researchers to journalists, designers, and data visualizers.
- đ The importance of data has grown due to the abundance of data and the tools available for analysis, pattern recognition, and trend identification.
- đ Data journalism is essentially seen as the modern form of journalism, where data analysis and storytelling techniques are integral to revealing the truth behind stories.
Q & A
What is the traditional role of words in journalism according to the transcript?
-The traditional role of words in journalism is to conjure up visual images using the letters of the alphabet.
What is the current definition of journalism as described in the transcript?
-Current journalism is about telling stories using the power of data, focusing on data journalism which involves the use of key information sets and data to inform a story.
What is the importance of processing data in data journalism?
-Processing data is crucial in data journalism as it helps in understanding what the data reveals and asking the right questions to get the right answers.
Why is transparency in data journalism important for trust?
-Transparency in data journalism is important for trust because by providing the workings behind the story, journalists can be open and show their process, making the stories stronger.
How can data journalism be presented beyond just text?
-Data journalism can be presented through various mediums such as interactive maps, clear pictures, and other visual storytelling techniques that help the audience understand and enjoy the story.
What impact can data journalism have on public discourse?
-Data journalism can drive policy and evidence-based discussions in both political and public discourse, as it is grounded in the power of measurement and focuses on facts rather than opinions.
What techniques are journalists using today to find and reveal stories in data?
-Journalists are using programmatic techniques such as data scraping, mining, and statistical analysis to find stories, and storytelling techniques on data to reveal patterns and trends.
Why is the year 1948 and the British government's spending significant in the transcript?
-The year 1948 and the British government's spending are used as an example to illustrate how data journalism can provide insights into historical financial decisions that are relevant and interesting to readers.
How does The Guardian approach data journalism?
-The Guardian is described as a pioneer in data journalism, having the first data blog and a strong history in data visualization. They make data open for anyone to use and integrate data journalism into their daily news lists and investigations.
What roles within an organization contribute to data journalism at The Guardian?
-Roles contributing to data journalism at The Guardian include researchers, journalists, interactive designers, and data visualization specialists who work together to provide a destination for those interested in data and uncovering the truth behind stories.
Why has data become increasingly important in journalism?
-Data has become increasingly important in journalism due to the vast amounts available and the tools and abilities to analyze it, find patterns, structure it, and reveal trends.
What is the speaker's final definition of data journalism?
-The speaker defines data journalism as essentially the modern way of doing journalism, which involves the use of data and its analysis to inform and strengthen stories.
Outlines
đ The Evolution of Journalism: From Words to Data
The paragraph discusses the transformation of journalism from a profession focused solely on the power of words to one that embraces data journalism. It emphasizes the importance of using key data sets and reference elements to inform stories, not just the existence or presentation of data, but the analysis and interpretation of it. The speaker highlights the need for journalists to ask the right questions to extract meaningful insights from data, which can be presented in various formats, including interactive maps and clear visuals. The paragraph also touches on the public's distrust of journalists and how data journalism can counter this by being transparent about the data processing and analysis. The speaker mentions the role of data in driving policy and public discourse, citing the example of the British government's spending on benefits as a topic of interest. The paragraph concludes by acknowledging the Guardian's pioneering role in data journalism and the integration of data analysis into daily news reporting.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄJournalism
đĄData Journalism
đĄData Processing
đĄTransparency
đĄVisualization
đĄStatistical Analysis
đĄPublic Discourse
đĄEvidence-based
đĄThe Guardian
đĄWikileaks
đĄData Blog
đĄTruth
Highlights
Reporting in journalism has evolved from using words to create visual images to utilizing data for storytelling.
Data journalism involves using key information sets and data to inform a story, emphasizing the importance of data processing and asking the right questions.
The modern approach to journalism is not confined to text or pictures but includes interactive maps and clear visuals to enhance understanding and engagement.
In an era of distrust in journalists, transparency in the workings behind a story can strengthen its impact.
Data journalism recognizes the power of measurement in public conversations and discourse, focusing on facts rather than opinions.
Journalists are increasingly incorporating statistical techniques and programmatic methods to uncover and tell stories.
The Guardian is highlighted as a pioneer in data journalism, being the first to have a data blog and a strong history in data visualization.
Data journalism at the Guardian involves handling big projects like Wikileaks or reading the riots and making data accessible for public use.
The Guardian has integrated data journalism into its daily news operations, with a team of professionals working with data across various departments.
Data journalism aims to provide a destination for those interested in data and seeking the truth behind stories.
The importance of data has grown due to the vast amounts available and the tools to analyze, structure, and reveal trends.
Data journalism is essentially journalism that leverages data to enhance storytelling and provide a deeper understanding of the subject matter.
The speaker emphasizes that data journalism is not a separate entity but an integral part of modern journalism.
The speaker discusses the role of data in driving policy and evidence-based discussions both politically and in the public sphere.
The speaker provides an example of the British government's spending on benefits in 1948 to illustrate the relevance of data in journalism.
The speaker suggests that data journalism can help restore trust in journalism by being open and transparent about the data and its analysis.
The speaker concludes by reiterating that data journalism is a modern approach to journalism that enhances the storytelling process with data.
Transcripts
when I was training to be a journalist
reporting was about one thing it was
about words Conjuring up visual images
um with letters of the alphabet
essentially now journalism is about
something much more than that is about
telling that story using the power of
data data journalism is the use of key
information sets key data key reference
elements to inform a story it's not the
existence of the data it's not just
obtaining it and putting it out there
it's the processing that goes into it to
work out what it tells you and you have
to ask the right questions to get the
right answers you're not confined to
just using text because you're a
newspaper or just using a picture you
can do an interactive map when that's
right you can do a really helpful clear
picture when that's the way forwards it
lets you tell a story in a way that
people watching it receiving it will
understand it and enjoy it nobody trusts
journalists anymore with the least
trusted um occupation you can imagine
but if you can provide your workings
behind the story you can be open and
transparent about that it makes those
stories so much stronger data journalism
is the recognition of the power of
measurement in helping public
conversations and public discourse in
general because numbers are so strong
it's not about opinion it's about what's
really there so I think it's it's a
modern way of doing journalism and
journalists are increase recently
finding that the only way to get the
best story now is to involve techniques
that statisticians would have used 10
years ago using programmatic techniques
like scraping mining statistical
analysis on data to find a story and
then the other way is using storytelling
techniques on data to reveal more
patterns and Trends in 1948 the British
government spent 11 billion in today's
money on benefits and this is stuff that
is not just uh of interest to readers
it's the stuff that will also hopefully
Drive policy Drive evidence both
politically and in the public discourse
facts of sacred is about how we do data
journalism at the guardian if you read
this book you'll find out how it works
for us day-to-day how we handle big
projects things like Wikileaks or
reading the riots and um how we make
that data open for anybody to use the
guardian really are the pioneers of data
journalism I would say they were the
first to have a data blog as far as I'm
aware and they've also had a strong
route a strong history in data
visualization journalism's got sort of
binded in ever closer at the guardian
since it was established almost as a
curiosity just a few years ago it's now
part of the Daily News lists and it's
always something on the big moving
stories or on the
investigations that we try and bake in
there are now a number of people across
the organization who work with data
every day from the research Department
to uh journalists working on specialist
beats to interactive designers and
people who visualize data for a living
and what we do I guess is we try and
pull all that stuff together and provide
people with a destination who are
interested in data and interested really
I guess in finding out the truth behind
the stories I think data has become
increasingly important these days
because there not only there's huge
amounts of it but also we have the tools
and the ability to be able to really
analyze it and find patterns and
structure it and reveal Trends so what
is day journalism well if you ask me
it's just journalism
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