The history of precision journalism (and why it matters)
1. The History of Precision Journalism (and
Why it Matters)
C.W. Anderson (University of Leeds)
December 5, 2017
2. Apostles of Certainty
Part of a larger book project;
Oxford University Press 2018
The history of how American
journalists have used
documents and data-(non-oral
evidence- in news reporting.
Attempt to draw journalism
more into dialog with other
fields, like sociology,
anthropology, and economics.
How these shifts relate to
larger changes in U.S. culture,
politics.
3. The Rise of “Data” Journalism
Increasing attention being paid to various forms of
“quantified journalism” (Coddington 2015, Diakopoulos
2015, Usher 2017)
Growth in the profession: 538.com, The Upshot, The
Guardian
Often lump different forms of “quantified” journalism together.
Simplistic origin stories- primarily a story about technology
and “entrepreneurial innovators.”
Not just antiquarian concern; lack of clarity on topics makes
current state of data journalism difficult to understand.
5. The Institutional and Cultural
History
Foundations and Social Science
The long history of “interpretive
journalism.”
New Visions of Technology- Computers
and Databases
CAR and NICAR
Changing J-School Faculty
6. NICAR and Rethinking
Investigations
Quantitative and
data-based
journalism found their
institutional home in
IRE / NICAR
Irony: Weapons of
the bureaucracy now
turned against the
government.
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
7. What Do Computers and
Databases Do?
Computer: back of
the shop to the front
of the shop
Database: Real
driver. Digitization of
public records.
8. Why Does this Matter in 2017?
• Context vs Individual Incidents
• Can we clearly state the “truth”
• Fake news and fact-checking