Screen Shot 2015-03-25 at 12.58.06 PM

What I gleaned from the articles is how important data journalism is and how easy it can be misused.  Data for data sake is a downfall of data journalism.  In order for data visualization or data journalism to become human, that being easy for people to relate to, it must be an important part of the story.  Just throwing numbers and infographics to fill a space, or digital exhaust, has no meaning and the intent of the story is lost.

With the current data sets it is important to see how the data works in the story, or how data enforces a story. “Unlike other visual media, data visualization is deeply rooted immeasurable facts.”

I found two particular data sets from the Austin Data Portal, the first is the SXSW_2014_Post-Evaluation_Survey, as well as the SXSW Lobbyists.  The first data set will provide an idea of how the citizens of Austin view SXSW the second show how this organization (SXSW) functions like a Washington DC organization, lobbying for concessions from the city of Austin in order to maximize their exposure as well as their profits.

Data for Data Sake