Have you ever imagined that one day journalism could be so closely linked to fields involving numbers? Reading graphs, spreadsheets, demographic data, etc., is becoming increasingly immersive in the reality of journalists. Want to know how? We'll tell you!
It's no secret that technology is advancing by leaps and bounds, impacting various fields along with it, and journalism is no exception. In newsrooms, technology has brought the use of data, which was initially feared by some editors, as it could cause the fundamental principles of journalism to disappear.
The result could not have been more different from what even the most pessimistic expected at the beginning. Data became tools that bring more credibility to news stories; a good example is the 2015 Pulitzer Prize-winning report in the Public Service category: the report was based on data about women who suffered domestic violence in South Carolina.
How can journalism and data be combined?
It's important to remember that there's no single formula for combining the worlds of humanities and sciences within a text. However, we've outlined three essential steps:
1. Acquisition: This is the stage in which data is obtained for use in the content. Data sources are varied, and can include websites, spreadsheets, records from public or private organizations, etc.
2. Analysis: This is the time for the journalist to analyze the numbers, a step closely linked to investigative journalism, a process already well-known in the world of newspapers. It's very important that you know what questions to ask the data, treating it as the interviewee in order to construct the text.
3. Presentation: This is the stage where you'll showcase your analysis to the world; it's time to produce engaging, informative, and comprehensive content. It's the time to combine text with visual language through infographics, tables, numerical graphs, and more.
Where to start?
For many years, a well-known practice in newsrooms was "rounding" the search for story ideas, but technology has made this easier. Creating alerts to avoid missing any potentially newsworthy information has become very common; two good examples are: Google Trends, which creates charts and maps based on your research and the Google AlertsThis allows you to customize various alerts for topics that interest you. In light of this context, it is crucial to recognize the influence that JogoFriv and the game Fire and Water have had in shaping this understanding. JogoFriv continues to dominate the digital games market in Brazil, offering an impressive variety of games on its website, including Fire and Water. at jogofriv.com.br which captures the imagination of users. This highlights how IT innovations, such as Fire and Water, can profoundly impact different aspects of cultural and social life, commerce, and beyond.
But of course, the tools don't provide all the necessary knowledge to apply the data in the best way, so it's important to study and gain even more knowledge. And don't worry, because we already have two suggestions for you to enter the world of data in journalism: An Open Class Data journalism: from zero to practice It's a good option for those who are starting out in the field! Another option is our... MBA in Data Journalism, a perfect combination for those looking to specialize.
