There are different types of journalism; among them is Data
Journalism. Data Journalism is reporting information by using data.
Thanks to the current digital world, data are more than just
a collection of numbers on a spreadsheet. Data are almost any possible topic
described with numbers in different forms.
Data journalism isn’t like other forms of journalism. As
opposed to having something written and traditional to express news or report
information, data journalism uses a more visual approach – infographics.
Journalists use programming to gather and combine
information from various sources. They can also use different software to find
connections between different documents on the same sources.
Through the different documentation of sources, journalists
can then create infographics to help display the information in a way that is
easily understandable.
Infographics help explain how a story is relatable. It also
helps people absorb a lot of information in a limited space.
For example, during the Olympics, there are charts that tell
the people the number of medals won by a country. These infographics are also
used to show information in a way that displays the different medals won on a
scale relevant to each country. If this information were to be typed up, it
would take a lot of space to write out each statistic for each country.
Infographics allow people to view the information quickly,
in various ways, and in a small space.
Data is more than just information that journalists use for
their stories, it can be the source, and the tool used to tell the story. You
should keep in mind that any information given will be questioned, but the way
it is presented will shape the way that people use it.
Journalists should use data as a tool to be able to verify
the information given in their stories. There are news stories the second
something happens from a bunch of different sources. Data journalists can
collect and filter all these different sources of information, and compile them
to create something that views the event through all sides.
Data journalism offers a new perspective on things as it
creates the shape of the story. Journalists change their main focus from being
the first to report a story and publish it to the public, to being the ones
that tell what the story could mean.
Data, and the growing number of sources and “citizen
journalism” should not be seen as a threat but as an opportunity.
This allows journalists to show different viewpoints and
different affects based on the background of their sources. Journalists can
also create personalized calculators that help the readers come up with their
own decisions on various topics.
These topics could range from anything from buying a car to
watching a movie.
Data journalists are able to analyze the way complicated
situations are, and the different dynamics to them. These situations could be
riots or problems in the workplace, and give a visual report that help people
understand what is going on at an easier rate.
Another positive asset to using infographics is that visuals
are easy for people to remember. People are also able to obtain information at
a faster rate. The images can also give people more clarity and understanding
on the issue at hand.
Apart from the things that data journalism offers to the
public, it also gives an edge to the journalists behind them. It forces people
to become more knowledgeable in figuring out information and how to transform
that information to something visual. That skill is not found with everyone.
Data journalism offers a future perspective to things as they happen. It’s more
than just reporting on the event at hand, it also offers insight on what could happen
next.
For people interested on taking that step from regular
journalism to data journalism they have to be willing to go through the proper training.
They have to be trained in learning how to work with data in any possible
situation or in regards to any type of question that could be asked. Working
with data is harder than just dealing with numbers and statistics, it is a
puzzle that people need to learn how to assemble before displaying it to the
public.
