This week’s reading delves into the expansive realm of data journalism, commencing with a manifesto that outlines twelve challenges crucial for critical data practice. These challenges scrutinize data journalism’s capacity not only to mold relationships among diverse stakeholders but also to craft representations of the world. They span the wide spectrum of data collection, public involvement, objectivity, social justice, and the art of storytelling with and about data.
In the subsequent but interrelated narratives, the compendium explores themes including data collection, data cleaning or standardization, data context, measurements, algorithms, numbers, stakeholder validation, stakeholder participation, dissemination, data infrastructures like databases, the dynamics of numbers, indigenous data sovereignty, and collaboration, among others.
For the sake of structure and clarity, I will delineate the discussion into three major themes: data collection and integrity, data ownership, and the narrative aspects of working with data.
One significant insight from this week’s reading is that data isn’t always readily available to fulfill the needs of data journalists. Even when data appears accessible, it may lack completeness, currency, or proper formatting. Consequently, data journalists frequently find themselves compelled to construct their datasets to convey the intended narratives. A multitude of approaches was shared for this purpose, ranging from basic online searches to more intricate methods such as undercover data collection. Importantly, these projects often require collaboration with readers, volunteers, experts, indigenous communities, and power structures. Additionally, ensuring data integrity emerged as a paramount concern. Rigorous data quality assurance processes, including field revisits, triangulation, expert and community member verification, and adherence to predefined data cleaning standards, are essential to maintain the accuracy and trustworthiness of data-driven narratives.
The notion of indigenous data sovereignty raises complex questions regarding data ownership, control, harm, and collective benefit. It reminded me of how design justice, in this case, maybe data justice principle could be applied to protect the rights of indigenous people “to own, control, access and possess data that derive from them, and which pertain to their members, knowledge systems, customs or territories.” It was revealed that Western data protection models are ill-suited for safeguarding indigenous data sovereignty since they primarily focus on individual rights, whereas indigenous data is collective. Data journalism emerges as a promising avenue for challenging this status quo by empowering indigenous peoples to frame their narratives and hold those in power accountable.
The most captivating aspect of this week’s reading for me revolves around the art of telling stories with and about data. The concept of “narrating a number” is particularly enlightening, highlighting how numbers, despite their sociotechnical characteristics, can be potent tools for obfuscating real social issues. The text elaborates on two fundamental speaking positions in data journalism: the Visual Embedded within Narrative and the Narrative Embedded within the Visual. The former deploys visual representations to support or illustrate narrative points, with the narrative being the primary focus. In contrast, the latter prioritizes visuals, using narrative to explain or provide context. This fluid approach allows data journalists to effectively communicate their ideas and engage their audience, recognizing that both narratives and visuals are invaluable tools in data journalism.
This has been a profoundly enlightening journey, prompting me to contemplate the multifaceted challenges and ethical considerations inherent in this field. I found the issue of data integrity particularly relevant, as it emphasizes the rigorous processes necessary to ensure that data-driven narratives are not only compelling but also trustworthy. Furthermore, the exploration of indigenous data sovereignty raises crucial questions about whose voices and stories are heard in data journalism, challenging us to consider how we can empower marginalized communities to take control of their narratives. The concept of “narrating a number” and the two fundamental speaking positions provide a fresh perspective on the interplay between narratives and visuals. It reminds us that data journalism is an art that requires a delicate balance between storytelling and visualization.
Paul,
You raise many salient points, here. You say that, “One significant insight from this week’s reading is that data isn’t always readily available to fulfill the needs of data journalists. Even when data appears accessible, it may lack completeness, currency, or proper formatting. Consequently, data journalists frequently find themselves compelled to construct their datasets to convey the intended narratives.”
That was one of my major takeaways as well, and it raised troubling questions in my mind about why these datasets do not exist, are not freely available, aren’t current or updated, and overall reflect an existing social hierarchy that favors and re-enforces white supremacy, neocolonialism, and the surveillance, exploitation, and misappropriation of BIPOC bodies and cultures.
I think we need to investigate how data reflects existing values and social structures, and how we can dismantle this narrative, or at least de-center it so that there is room and space enough for other narratives. As the chapter on indigenous data sovereignty mentioned, we must also be careful with which narratives we use to replace existing narratives. So-called “5D data,” focusing upon “Difference, Disparity, Disadvantage, Dysfunction and Deprivation” in indigenous communities, is useful only to a certain, limited extent.
It appeals almost exclusively to pathos at the expense of logic and at the cost of telling a truthful narrative about indigenous peoples and their prosperity, ways of knowing, and indigenous people who are thriving. Usually, the narrative we hear is about survival in the wake of colonialism, displacement, land theft, slavery, and genocide. This narrative is important, but perhaps it is time to center indigenous voices and allow them to tell us the stories they want to tell, rather than the ones we want or expect to hear.
Your comments also prompted me to think of the ways in which data can be shaped to fit a certain narrative. If datasets need to be created, we must also ask about the absences in the creation – what variables are left out, either intentionally or accidentally or because they could not be measured or simply because there was not enough time, funding, or information available.
Good data journalism does an excellent job bridging the quantitative and the qualitative. However, in my mind, data journalism is much more of a science than an art. I would hope journalists would go into their investigations would open minds, despite forming hypothesizes in advance, and allow the data to speak for itself.
However, I can also imagine a dark side of data journalism – one where data are used to reify existing discriminatory narratives and cause active and/or passive harm to the communities it is trying to protect and cover through a journalistic lens.