It seems that the word “data” connotes numbers, spreadsheets, calculations — basically boring things to be drooled-over by math nerds and computer science geeks. But as the Web puts more and more information at the disposal of journalists and other media professionals, data is becoming the sexy new commodity among those who are in the business of presenting a compelling story and/or message.
Alas, there are still calculations to be made with said data. Today’s (and the future’s) storytellers must crunch the numbers, sans calculator, in order to derive just the right formula for presenting information to an increasingly hungry audience. Our readings and class discussions have emphasized the importance of synthesizing data and presenting it in a way that engages the audience. It’s all about putting things together to convey a message. The numbers don’t lie, but they also don’t tell the whole story. That part is up to the person using them.
So journalists, and those educating them, need to embrace the dynamics of data, as overwhelming as that may seem. The beauty of the whole thing is that data means different things to different users, so potential stories for journalists are in virtually endless supply. This means that there is really no such thing as the perfect story; instead there are a number of great stories, waiting for the right data miners to uncover and construct them.
