Data Journalism Symposium
Data journalism and audience engagement in the post-pandemic era: news industry experts and journalism academics discuss the importance of using data for audience engagement in a post-pandemic landscape.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the use of statistical figures and data visualisations in news coverage embedded data journalism into daily news reporting. Data visualisations are thought to help effectively communicate with audiences and make it easier for them to understand government health messages and related news stories. During the pandemic, effectively sharing data was a crucial aspect of keeping the public informed.
Against this backdrop, critical questions arise about the current and future use of data in journalism and news reporting. This one-day symposium will explore the importance of data journalism, examine its potential to engage audiences, reflect on the experiences gained and lessons learned during the pandemic, and discuss our shared vision for data journalism and audience engagement in the post-pandemic landscape.
Video
Opening remarks
Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Closing remarks
Programme
Opening remarks: Professor Jackie Harrison (University of Sheffield, UNESCO)
Session 1: Data journalism during Covid-19
Chair: Jingrong Tong (University of Sheffield)
Louis Goddard (Global Witness): Vaccinating data journalism: applying lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic to a new phase in the news cycle
Carmen Aguilar García (Sky News): Sky News: Automating the Covid-19 story in the newsroom
Farzeen Heesambee (University of Derby): Data journalism and the Covid-19 pandemic: analysis of data dissemination strategies across broadcast, online and print news media
Session 2: Data journalism and audience engagement
Chair: Irini Katsirea (University of Sheffield)
Neil Thurman, Florian Stalph & Sina Thaesler-kordonouri (LMU Munich): Exploring audience perceptions of, and preferences for, data journalism
Jingrong Tong (University of Sheffield): UK audiences’ perceptions of Covid-19 data visualisations: a case study
Jason Martin (Depaul University), Lindita Camaj (University of Houston) & Gerry Lanosga (Indiana University Bloomington): Data journalism and audience engagement in 34 countries: Instrumental or substantive?
Mathias Felipe de Lima Santos (Federal University of São Paulo) & Marília Gehrke (University of Southern Denmark): Credibility, objectivity, and transparency of data journalism during COVID-19: The audience’s expectations when data leads to misleading information
Session 3: Reflecting on the past and the present: Implications for data journalism in the future
Chair: Claire Miller (Reach plc)
Susan E McGregor (Columbia University) & Joanna Kao (Financial Times): Supporting long-haul reporting: Data integration and management in the newsroom
Ross Lydall (London Evening Standard): Data journalism: do we need to get back to the office to do it properly?
Peter Sherlock (BBC): The BBC’s Shared Data Unit: Data journalism and the public interest
Nathan Sparkes (Hacked Off): “Does having a TV in your bedroom lead to more sex?”, and more improbable headlines backed by questionable data: The ethics of data journalism