Between Objectivity and Openness—The Mediality of Data for Journalism

Abstract

A number of recent high profile news events have emphasised the importance of data as a journalistic resource. But with no definitive definition for what constitutes data in journalism, it is difficult to determine what the implications of collecting, analysing, and disseminating data are for journalism, particularly in terms of objectivity in journalism. Drawing selectively from theories of mediation and research in journalism studies we critically examine how data is incorporated into journalistic practice. In the first half of the paper, we argue that data's value for journalism is constructed through mediatic dimensions that unevenly evoke different socio-technical contexts including scientific research and computing. We develop three key dimensions related to data's mediality within journalism: the problem of scale, transparency work, and the provision of access to data as 'openness'. Having developed this first approach, we turn to a journalism studies perspective of journalism's longstanding "regime of objectivity", a regime that encompasses interacting news production practices, epistemological assumptions, and institutional arrangements, in order to consider how data is incorporated into journalism's own established procedures for producing objectivity. At first sight, working with data promises to challenge the regime, in part by taking a more conventionalist or interpretivist epistemological position with regard to the representation of truth. However, we argue that how journalists and other actors choose to work with data may in some ways deepen the regime's epistemological stance. We conclude by outlining a set of questions for future research into the relationship between data, objectivity and journalism.

La insuficiencia de la Ley de Transparencia para el ejercicio del Periodismo de datos en España

“…Esta integración de Big Data y Open Data forma parte de una definición de PD que utilizaremos como base en este trabajo de investigación, resultado del estudio de los autores más relevantes que se han ocupado de definir el término (Gray, Jonathan;Bounegru, Liliana;Chambers 2012;Antón-Bravo, 2013;Rodríguez-Brito & García-Chico 2013;Lesage & Hackett 2014;Coddington, 2015;Elías, 2015). Para la construcción de esta definición se han desglosado sus aspectos fundamentales y está respaldada por un trabajo de campo con periodistas de datos, que realizamos durante 2015 y 2016.…”

Läpinäkyvä viestintä

“…Esimerkiksi Kööpenhaminan ilmastokokous vuonna 2009 synnytti neisto koneluettavassa muodossa, jolloin muut toimittajat ja toimitukset voivat tarpeen tullen tarkistaa ja myös jatkojalostaa data-aineistoa omiin juttuihinsa. (Rogers 2011;Lesage & Hackett 2013. ) Käytännössä kokonaisten datasettien avoin jakaminen datajuttujen yhteydessä on ollut yhä varsin harvinaista, vaikka ajoin pyrkimystä siihen suuntaan onkin.…”

“…Ehkäpä ensimmäistä kertaa journalismin historiassa myös toimittajilta edellytetään omasta työstään näin suurta työstöprosessin läpinäkyvyyttä ja avoimuutta. (Lesage & Hackett 2013. ) Ideaalin datajutun yhteydessä julkaistaan myös koko käytetty data-ai-kriittisesti kysyä, onko tietopohja tällöin liian sattumanvaraista, vain anekdootin tasoista.…”

The Transparency Law‘s insufficiency for Data Journalism‘s practices in Spain

“…Michael Schudson (2010) The relationship between the transparency culture and DJ has been investigated on the one hand by theorists who referred to it as Computational Journalism and considered it the solution to the traditional media crisis, which had diminished investigative journalism (Cohen, Li, Yang & Cong, 2011) and, on the other hand, this relationship has been also investigated by more recent authors for whom the term DJ was already settled (Daniel & Flew, 2010;Gray, Bounegru & Chambers, 2012;Parasie and Dagiral, 2012;Rodriguez-Brito andGarcia-Chico, 2013, Lesage andHackett, 2014;Appelgren and Nygren, 2014;Fink and Anderson 2014). We share with them that the data used by journalists in their stories are closely linked to the transparency culture.…”

“…Parasie and Darigal (2012) (Gray, Jonathan;Bounegru, Liliana;Chambers 2012;Anton-Bravo, 2013;Rodriguez-Brito & García-Chico 2013, Lesage & Hackett 2014Coddington, 2015;Elias, 2015). For the construction of this definition we have partitioned DJ into its fundamental aspects, which are backed by a field work with data journalists we made during 2015 and 2016.…”