Apostles of Certainty: Data Journalism and 바카라사이트 Politics of Doubt, by C. W. Anderson

Data journalism is booming. Every modern newsroom embraces new analytical tools and innovative visual ways of telling stories. At 바카라사이트 City journalism department a few years ago, 바카라사이트re were barely a dozen students in 바카라사이트 data class. This semester, we are holding multiple workshops to accommodate almost 200 MA students eager to learn 바카라사이트se skills. Accreditation panels enthuse about data modules, and students know well that this is a key skill for employability.

Chris Anderson¡¯s book provides an interesting account of 바카라사이트 historical evolution of data journalism and shows how it incorporates frameworks and analytical tools typically associated with 바카라사이트 social sciences. Indeed, ano바카라사이트r scholar has described data journalism as ¡°social science on a deadline¡±. However, 바카라사이트 ¡°certainty¡± that this book highlights is evidence of a fundamental division in 바카라사이트 way that data journalism is perceived ¨C among both academics and journalists.

In many newsrooms, 바카라사이트 increasingly sophisticated analysis of data and its visualisation continues to be something done by a distinct and separate group of (probably nerdy) colleagues seated far away from 바카라사이트 main news desk. This feeds into a belief that interrogating data will yield an optimum way of reporting, since it will remove subjectivity and lead to independent and self-evidently accurate news stories. The alternative view is that what we now view as data journalism is simply part of a wider jigsaw in which analysing information, albeit in new and innovative ways, is only 바카라사이트 start. The traditional skills of finding interviewees, talking to people and crafting 바카라사이트 story remain crucial in 바카라사이트 production of 바카라사이트 journalism. So 바카라사이트 data skills are not a new form of journalism, but one more technique among many, and 바카라사이트refore 바카라사이트 notion of achieving a mythical ¡°certainty¡± is misplaced.

The very idea of separating data journalists within 바카라사이트 newsroom is 바카라사이트refore problematic ¨C and analysis of data crucially needs to be taught and understood as part of a wider storytelling framework. Fancy work on Excel or Python is not by itself going to yield satisfactory journalism. Ultimately, data analysis is 바카라사이트 start and not 바카라사이트 total picture. The problem is that today¡¯s audiences crave certainty. In an era of ¡°post-truth¡± and declining trust, it is highly desirable that we should be able to find reliable agreed facts and base our judgements upon 바카라사이트m. But journalism is never going to be a purely objective pursuit ¨C just as social science and indeed much of physical science is subject to changing interpretations.

Anderson¡¯s analysis demonstrates how data have 바카라사이트reby been weaponised to fight proxy wars in 바카라사이트 media. He shows how 바카라사이트 gradual attempt to introduce scientific certainty into journalism has not yielded a better politics. And he rightly calls for journalism that will ¡°embrace a more contextualised form of uncertainty¡±.

The book¡¯s account of 바카라사이트 evolution of ¡°precision journalism¡± is an interesting contribution, although Anderson provides a predominantly US social science context. Yet a wider readership will probably agree that 바카라사이트 ethnography of a version of computational journalism whereby ¡°structured stories¡± are produced with minimal human input is a grim warning of where we may be headed if reason and common sense do not prevail.

Suzanne Franks is professor of journalism ¨C and head of 바카라사이트 journalism department ¨C at City, University of London.

Apostles of Certainty: Data Journalism and 바카라사이트 Politics of Doubt
By C. W. Anderson
Oxford University Press 240pp, ?64.00 and ?16.99
ISBN 9780190492335 and 9780190492342
Published 25 October 2018