Data as Journalism, Journalism as Data

Data as Journalism, Journalism as Data

A hierarchy of database journalism

At the low end are the simplest kinds of projects in which the news organization doesn't do much beyond making the data available.
At the high end are the most ambitious applications, in which the news organization adds value through smart interface development, journalistic analysis, creativity in presentation or connections to storytelling.

Level 1: Data delivery. Here a news organization obtains data and makes it available in a browsable form. There's no additional reporting and little functionality for the online user. The Star's CEO salaries database is an example.

Level 2: Data search. This is by far the most common way data is made available. Users are expected to find relevant information by entering text into a search box. An example: The Cincinnati Enquirer's database of home sales prices.

Level 3: Data exploration. Compare the search results page for a typical searchable database like Cincinnati home sales prices to the browse options on Adrian Holovaty's chicagocrime.org. There's a search box on the page, but the site allows easy exploration of the data in a way most online databases do not. Click on any of the browse options and you are presented with additional links that you can click on and explore the information more thoroughly. I recently heard Adrian talk about his approach to developing database application. He talks about applying "The Treatment" to online data, by which he means, "Present it in ways that make it fun and serendipitous." His motto is: "Everything that can be linked should be linked." His work shows that searchability is just the beginning.

Level 4: Data visualization. Rows and columns usually aren't the most effective way to present data. For many databases, the most valuable thing a news organization can do is provide a way for people to visualize what the data show. The most obvious approaches involve mapping, at least for databases that have a geographic element. Thanks to Google and Yahoo!, it is relatively easy to add maps to any database that includes addresses. But the possibilities for data visualization go way beyond mapping. A site that is doing some very interesting things with data visualization is Digg.com, a tech-oriented site where content is prioritized based on user voting. Check out Digg Labs for some creative ways the Digg team is finding to prioritize news using visual interfaces.

Level 5: Data experiences and storytelling. When a news organization can effectively marry traditional reporting and storytelling with database development capabilities, truly new forms of journalism can emerge. Here are a few examples of what I'm talking about:

• The Los Angeles Times' homicide map. What makes this project interesting is that behind the map is a page (actually a blog post) about every individual murder in Los Angeles this year. And for each murder, the Times allows comments (after staff review), which often take the form of tributes to the homicide victim. These comments are often poignant and compelling - transforming dry statistics into human stories.
• Politifact, a joint project of the St. Petersburg Times and Congressional Quarterly. This is a data-driven application designed "to help you find the truth in the presidential campaign."
• Digital Trails, a story produced by the News21 reporting project, a foundation-funded initiative involving graduate students from Northwestern University, the University of Southern California, Columbia University and the University of California-Berkeley. (Disclosure: I was an adviser to the students and helped them work with Flash developers From Scratch Design Studio to present the story.) "Digital Trails" is a story about how information about people is captured and stored as they go about their daily activities. Student journalists Phil Stuart and Meredith Mazzotta followed a young woman around the Washington area and identified every instance in which she left a "digital trail," then found out where that information was stored and how it might be shared with companies or the government. Underlying the multimedia reporting and Flash interface is a database in which every trail is a data element.

Last words

While changes in audience behavior and the business of media are creating tough times for news organizations these days, online databases offer new ways of engaging audiences and delivering quality journalism that people need and value. Ryerson, the Indianapolis Star's editor, said he sees continuing database development as a critical aspect of his newspaper's future. "If we can find enough of these things that intersect with the lives of our readers," he said, "I think we will be all right."


By Rich Gordon (richgor@northwestern.edu)
Rich Gordon is Associate Professor and Director of Digital Technology in Education at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.

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