17/10/2018
“In this course you analyse words and find the meaning,” says Christina. “Data is just another way of getting information out. It is not the story…how do you then take that and put that in front of people in a manner that they can access and understand?”
Digging the data was today’s topic. According to Tanner & Richardson (2013), data is information presented in table forms. In this context, journalists are required to sift through the data in front of them, and draw meaning from it. There is much public information available, so statistics and trends are readily available (Tanner & Richardson, 2013).
Alicia’s presentation saw us discussing the significant pros and cons to data journalism. While available data is great to support a thesis and identify trends, the class agreed that very little has been taught to us during this degree. The consensus was that if we were to do our time over, we would definitely push to learn more about how to decode data. One reason for this is the fact that raw statistics can very easily be manipulated to say what you want them to say, especially when this is done by someone who doesn’t really know what they’re doing.
One case of misleading data which stands out is a study into male circumcision and the presence and transmission of HIV and AIDS. After doing several studies and conducting research in sub-Saharan Africa, the National Institute of Health have concluded that circumcision in heterosexual males can reduce the risk of HIV and AIDS by up to 60% (US National Library of Medicine, 2007). This has prompted many professionals and organisations like the World Health Organisation to believe and promote that, as a result of this study, men worldwide should undergo the procedure as a preventative.
However, Green et al (2010) argue that this conclusion is not so simple. The research conducted was undertaken in third world countries in Africa, where hygiene and safe sex practices are extremely poor. Green et al (2010) also argue that this study is not conclusive enough to promote the procedure worldwide, for it completely overlooks other factors like human rights. Furthermore, it fails to mention the correlation between circumcised men and the transmission of HIV and AIDS to female partners (Green et al, 2010).
I think it is fair to say that in order to use data like this most effectively, one needs to know what they’re doing and most importantly evaluate the context and every other factor which could effect the results.
References:
Green, L., Travis, J., McAllister, R., Peterson, K., Vardanyan, A. and Craig, A. (2010). Male Circumcision and HIV Prevention: Insufficient Evidence and Neglected External Validity. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, [online] 39(5), pp.479-482. Available at: https://www.circinfo.org/Circumcision_HIV_doubts.html [Accessed 17 Oct. 2018].
Tanner, S. and Richardson, N. (2013). Journalism research and investigation in a digital world. South Melbourne, Vic.: Oxford University Press.
US National Library of Medicine. (2007). Male circumcision and HIV/AIDS: challenges and opportunities. [online] Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4096793/ [Accessed 17 Oct. 2018].
Hi Brett,
I think what you’ve said in your example of circumcision/HIV statistics is so relevant. It partly reminds me of something I wanted to get at in my presentation about how health issues surrounding Indigenous Australians are reported by the Australian media. In many cases, reporting the bare statistics doesn’t provide enough context to a story, and leads to the spread of misinformation. You’re absolutely right in saying that when we report on data, the most effective way to do so is to be aware of the context and influencing factors surrounding them.
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I found your example of the correlation between HIV and circumcision statistics very interesting. Something which i’ve learnt throughout my whole degree, is that the media can easily manipulate an audience into believing something is true, and this is more prevalent with the use of statistics, which people are quick to believe because its “research”. I agree that we should have been taught how to decode data during our time at university, as data journalism is clearly the way of the future. However, I believe that it is something that we will be able to adapt to once we work in the profession.
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Thank you both for your insights. Elleni, I completely agree with you about adapting to this in the profession. I think, like everything else we do, it will be daunting to begin with but after a while it will come naturally to us.
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When researching this topic there was many examples of excellent data journalism, but your example shows that there are also many misleading ones as well. If data journalism is the way of the future I think it is important as you said to learn a discipline to go with it. Like most evidence whether it be a quote or a statistic can be manipulated or used with no significance. I think it comes down to, like most topics in this course, the journalistic values and skills of a journalist. In this light and as you mentioned, Journalists should be taught to be aware of the context and influencing factors of data so that data journalism becomes a practice about adding an extra layer of depth and meaning to a story and not be a form of coercion or fiction.
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Hey Brett,
I found this blog entry particularly interesting to read! You made great use of an academic source at the beginning and I undeniably agree with the point you made regarding not being taught a substantial amount of information about this topic throughout our degree, specifically the decoding of data.
You made a great point about how statistics can be easily manipulated which leads us to even more necessity of being taught this topic in more depth.
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