Data Journalism After the COVID-19 Pandemic
Jingrong Tong (University of Sheffield)
This event is part of the CAMRI Seminar series. The current event is an online via Zoom event only.
Data journalism took off around 2008 and became increasingly integrated into the 24/7 news cycle before the pandemic. During the COVID-19 pandemic, along with a rapid increase in the number of data stories published by news media, data journalism flourished. However, the sustainable development of data journalism is uncertain after the pandemic ends. On one hand, the new data reporting techniques, skills, and experiences learned during the pandemic provide an excellent foundation for data journalism to thrive further. The benefits derived from employing extensive data journalism practices in newsrooms would be a good reason for news media to continue their investment in data reporting. On the other hand, however, challenges, ranging from the uncertainty of data and public concerns about data privacy to organisational structures and cultures, may hinder data journalism’s further development. This talk analyses the situation data journalists face after the pandemic and explores opportunities and challenges for the development of data journalism. The talk is drawn from interviews and publicly available data such as data stories and online resources.
Biography
Dr Jingrong Tong is Senior Lecturer in Digital News Cultures at the University of Sheffield. She is the author of Data for Journalism: Between Transparency and Accountability and seven other books. Her current research focuses on media freedom, the impact of digital technology on journalism, and social media communication of social issues.
Photo by Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash