Think about how many times in the last week you have seen a data chart of some sort in an article. Quite a bit, huh? That is because data journalism is the future of story telling. Now you’re probably asking, “So is data journalism just charts and graphs?” The answer to that is no. Yes, data charts are involved in data journalism but it is not the sole definition of what is it. Data journalism includes, but not limited to, the following:
- new, untold stories that is relevant to the community
- the gathering, sorting and distribution of data
- charts that help communicate that data in a visually appealing way
The video below is journalists from the Guardian describing what data journalism is.
Data journalism is a concept that is already here and will only continue to grow and advance in the future. Knowing the process of acquiring data and asking the right questions to get the right answers is the key thing. Once you have obtained the information you are using to tell a story, then you can create a visualization that communicates that information in an understanding way.
Journalists are still going to be using some traditional techniques of journalism to get the story they want. But that story is going to have to be incorporated and turned into data journalism. It is exciting to think about what creative things journalists are going to be doing in the future! The possibilities are unlimited when it comes to data journalism.