Data-driven journalism (GIJC, Geneva April 2010) #ddj
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CAN DIGGING DEEPER INTO DATA HELP TO FINANCE INVESTIGATIONS? AN INTRODUCTION TO DATA-DRIVEN JOURNALISM Mirko Lorenz, Journalist/Information Architect Global Investigative Journalism Conference GENEVA (APRIL 2010) - http://www.gijc2010.ch/
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Can the analysis of data help investigative journalism? Could new workflows working with data create more substantial reporting and thus finance costly investigations? This talk tried to provide food for thought for these questions, not the final answers. Work ahead on this...
Transcript of Data-driven journalism (GIJC, Geneva April 2010) #ddj
CAN DIGGING DEEPER INTO DATA HELP TO FINANCE INVESTIGATIONS?AN INTRODUCTION TO DATA-DRIVEN JOURNALISMMirko Lorenz, Journalist/Information Architect
Global Investigative Journalism ConferenceGENEVA (APRIL 2010) - http://www.gijc2010.ch/
DATA AND INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM: WHY, HOW AND WHEN?
CONTEXT: THE FUTURE OF JOURNALISM
OPPORTUNITY:DATA-DRIVEN JOURNALISM
How can we make use of data?What is there to learn?
A curriculum to train journalists?
CONTENTS 1. WHY DATA? WHY NOW?2. EXAMPLES, PLEASE!3. FUTURE PERSPECTIVES?4. NEXT STEPS
WHY DATA? WHY NOW?SOME QUOTES WHY AND HOW
IS BECOMING IMPORTANT...DATA-DRIVEN JOURNALISM
1 2 3 4
Online work to be 'data-driven'Posted: 16/10/02 By: Caroline White
http://www.journalism.co.uk/2/articles/5493.php
Hal Straus, database editor and manager for Washington Post Newsweek Interactive added: "Consumer news is a hard sell in a lot of newsrooms because it's not going to win a Pulitzer, but people really want objective information about what they are buying or have bought."
"Journalists will do less 'been-there, done-that' reporting as readers demand more continuous coverage of issues, such as domestic violence and child abuse.“
I keep saying the sexy job in the next ten years will be statisticians. People think I’m joking, but who would’ve guessed that computer engineers would’ve been the sexy job of the 1990s?Hal Varian, Google Chief Economist, The McKinsey Quarterly, January 2009
„Journalism has always been about reporting facts and assertions and making sense of world affairs. No news there. But as we move further into the 21st century, we will have to increasingly rely on "data" to feed our stories, to the point that "data-driven reporting" becomes second nature to journalists.“
Zach Beauvais, Journalism Needs Data in the 21st Century, ReadWriteWeb, August 5, 2009
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/journalism_needs_data_in_21st_century.php
WE HAVE TO RETHINK OUR FORMATSBIG AMOUNTS OF INFORMATION ARE LOSTEVERY DAYBECAUSE THEY ARE PRINTED OR TELEVISED
WHY DATA? WHY NOW?(TOP 5 REASONS)
AMOUNT OF DATA
NEW ANALYSIS TOOLS
DATA SOURCES
ONLINE DISTRIBUTION
NEED FOR CLARITY
OPPORTUNITY FOR JOURNALISM
SENSEMAKING IS NEEDED HERESensemaking: “..the ability or attempt to make sense of an ambiguous situation. More exactly, sensemaking is the process of creating situational awareness and understanding in situations of high complexity or uncertainty in order to make decisions.” (Wikipedia)
SUB-PRIME CRISIS
GREEK DEFICIT
RATING AGENCIES
CREDIT CARD DEBTS PRIVACY
FRAUD
TOTAL COST OF PURCHASES
DECEPTION
DATA-DRIVEN JOURNALISM = A PROCESS
DATA
FILTER
VISUALIZE
STORY
VALUE TO PUBLIC
DATA-DRIVEN JOURNALISM
FLAT EARTH NEWS
VS.
DEEP-LINKED STORIES
(WE NEED RELEVANT NEWS AND BETTER FILTERS)
EXAMPLES, PLEASEDATA-DRIVEN JOURNALISM 1. USE DATA TO TELL STORIES2. CREATE BETTER FILTERS4. ENABLE DECISIONS 3. COLLABORATE
1 2 3 4
USE DATA, TELL A STORY
http://www.mediastorm.org/0006.htm
Mediastorm: Never coming home
CREATE BETTER FILTERS
...RESULT IN SIMPLE CLARITY
MAKE CONNECTIONS VISIBLE (ELASTIC LISTS)
http://well-formed-data.net/experiments/elastic_lists/
ENABLE TRUSTED ACTION
Who can you trust?
With the help of data
journalists could help
people to make
informed descisions -
from politics to buying
an used car.
The New York Times Rent vs. Buy Calculator
STORYSTORY
THE DATA LAYER (GROWING VERY FAST)
WHY? (MID-LEVEL)TO STAY RELEVANTJOURNALSTS MUST DIG DEEPER
PERSPECTIVES FOR
WHAT IS THERE TO LEARN?DATA-DRIVEN JOURNALISM
1 2 3 4
NOT ABOUT STATISTICSNOT ABOUT INFOGRAPHICS
DATA-INNOVATION ON ALL LEVELS:THE LIST IS GETTING LONGER BY THE HOUR
‣ Ushahidi (Al Jazeera, Haiti)
‣ New York Times: Rent or buy
‣ Guardian Data-Blog
‣ Guardian Crowdsourcing of Data (Example)
‣ Flowing Data
‣ Information is Beautiful
‣ Innovative Interactivity
‣ Oakland Crime, Chicago Crime, Blaulichtkurier
‣ EveryBlock
PERSPECTIVES
‣ DATA-DRIVEN JOURNALISM IS AN OPPORTUNITY
‣ DATA SHOULD BE INTERPRETED BY JOURNALISTS
‣ DATA CAN HELP FINANCE JOURNALISM IN GENERAL
‣ DATA CAN HELP TO INVESTIGATE, DETECT PATTERNS, ANOMALIES EARLY
‣ STATUS OF DATA-DRIVEN JOURNALISM 2010:
FEW PEOPLE UNDERSTAND HOW IT IS DONE
NASCENT OFFERINGS, NO LEADERS YET (MAYBE GUARDIAN, NYT)
EJC TO SPREAD THE WORD AND KNOW-HOW
MAKING MONEY?
RETHINK OUR FORMATS
Thomson Reuters
The Economist
New York TimesGuardian
FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES
REDUCE TIME TO SEARCH
ENABLE DECISIONS
BE TRUSTABLE
DETECT ANOMALIES EARLIER
MINIMIZE NEED TO REFORMAT
NEXT STEPSDATA-DRIVEN JOURNALISM
1 2 3 4
DATA CAN:STEAL THE WORLDORHEAL THE WORLD
REGRESSIONANALYSIS, PREDICTIVE MODELLING:DATA WILL GETEVEN MORE POWERFUL
EJC • DATA-DRIVEN JOURNALISM
PAPER1
PRESENTATIONDescription
2CONFERENCEDemonstration
3
WEBSITE
Training WORKSHOPS
4 GroupNETWORK
EJC • DATA-DRIVEN JOURNALISM
Curriculum
Produce
Present
Provide
Results orientated,understand journalist interests
Data Mining, Filtering, Modeling,Other Story Elements
Format, Visualisation, Presentation
Deliver information to users and organizations in usable formats
Text
SUMMARY: GOALS
EJC • DATA-DRIVEN JOURNALISM 3 YEAR PERSPECTIVE
DEMONSTRATE EXAMPLES ON WEBTRAIN JOURNALISTS CREATE EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVEBUILD NETWORK OF DATA-JOURNALISTS
QUESTION:WHAT IS THE BIGGEST BARRIER KEEPING JOURNALISTS FROM USING DATA?
