Delving into ‘Data Journalism in the Non-West’ with IMICS English-Taught Course
Date :
2023-10-26
Department :
International Master's Program in International Communication Studies
【Article by IMICS】
On October 11th Dr Shangyuan Wu, a lecturer and media researcher based in National University of Singapore, delivered a speech about journalists’ engagement with data in the non-West context to the students in the Emerging Media and the News course.
Interested in journalism in the digital age, Dr Wu has been conducting online journalism and global journalism studies. In her discussion on the impact of state influence on data-driven news, she first pointed out how people’s personal data are constantly collected, raising awareness about the issue of everyday digital footprints. Then Dr Wu referred to the potential of data journalism, namely that data journalists could reveal concealed information, expose wrongdoing in government or corporations, and therefore better fulfill the watchdog role.
However, Dr Wu also pinpointed the constructivist nature of data, emphasizing that all data should be treated with skepticism and caution. She suggested that when reviewing numbers and data in news we ask questions such as ‘By whom are the data produced?’ ‘How are they collected?’ ‘What are these data?’ ‘What data are missing?’ ‘For whom are they created?’ Asking these questions is important because, according to Dr Wu, data could be characterized by bias and interference from dominant groups in society.
To illustrate the importance of these questions, Dr Wu took the example of Singapore. She described that the government can be slow to respond to journalists’ request for data, not to mention that given the Internal Security Act 1960 (ISA), certain data and information have become inaccessible to journalists. In addition to the issue of access, the government tends to publish already processed rather than raw data.
Furthermore, survivalism ideology and Asian values entrenched in the Singaporean society have contributed to a different press-government relationship from those in the West. Compared to the press in liberal democracies, the press in Singapore does not necessarily play the watchdog role. Finally, Dr Wu pointed out that journalists' lack of data literacy can also hinder their production of data-driven news stories.
In the question-and-answer session, Skylar, a second-year student of IMICS, wondered how individual news consumer can handle the situation that data and numbers in the news might have already been skewed. In her reply Dr Wu offered a few suggestions, including actively searching for multiple sources, comparing and contrasting common data use, and being critical and vigilant about what has been presented. Sonia, a first-year student of IMICS, was curious about how Dr Wu distinguished between government interference and journalists’ own practices. Admitting that it was quite difficult, the speaker described how she focused on analyzing the interactions between journalists and the government, and evaluating the impact of relevant regulations on data journalism in practice.
In addition to thanking Dr Wu for her very insightful lecture, Dr Yu extended an invitation to her to visit NCCU in person for more knowledge exchange, especially of her latest research on fake news. Dr Wu expressed great interest in visiting Taiwan to give more lectures and learning more about Taiwanese media environments.
On October 11th Dr Shangyuan Wu, a lecturer and media researcher based in National University of Singapore, delivered a speech about journalists’ engagement with data in the non-West context to the students in the Emerging Media and the News course.
Interested in journalism in the digital age, Dr Wu has been conducting online journalism and global journalism studies. In her discussion on the impact of state influence on data-driven news, she first pointed out how people’s personal data are constantly collected, raising awareness about the issue of everyday digital footprints. Then Dr Wu referred to the potential of data journalism, namely that data journalists could reveal concealed information, expose wrongdoing in government or corporations, and therefore better fulfill the watchdog role.
However, Dr Wu also pinpointed the constructivist nature of data, emphasizing that all data should be treated with skepticism and caution. She suggested that when reviewing numbers and data in news we ask questions such as ‘By whom are the data produced?’ ‘How are they collected?’ ‘What are these data?’ ‘What data are missing?’ ‘For whom are they created?’ Asking these questions is important because, according to Dr Wu, data could be characterized by bias and interference from dominant groups in society.
To illustrate the importance of these questions, Dr Wu took the example of Singapore. She described that the government can be slow to respond to journalists’ request for data, not to mention that given the Internal Security Act 1960 (ISA), certain data and information have become inaccessible to journalists. In addition to the issue of access, the government tends to publish already processed rather than raw data.
Furthermore, survivalism ideology and Asian values entrenched in the Singaporean society have contributed to a different press-government relationship from those in the West. Compared to the press in liberal democracies, the press in Singapore does not necessarily play the watchdog role. Finally, Dr Wu pointed out that journalists' lack of data literacy can also hinder their production of data-driven news stories.
In the question-and-answer session, Skylar, a second-year student of IMICS, wondered how individual news consumer can handle the situation that data and numbers in the news might have already been skewed. In her reply Dr Wu offered a few suggestions, including actively searching for multiple sources, comparing and contrasting common data use, and being critical and vigilant about what has been presented. Sonia, a first-year student of IMICS, was curious about how Dr Wu distinguished between government interference and journalists’ own practices. Admitting that it was quite difficult, the speaker described how she focused on analyzing the interactions between journalists and the government, and evaluating the impact of relevant regulations on data journalism in practice.
In addition to thanking Dr Wu for her very insightful lecture, Dr Yu extended an invitation to her to visit NCCU in person for more knowledge exchange, especially of her latest research on fake news. Dr Wu expressed great interest in visiting Taiwan to give more lectures and learning more about Taiwanese media environments.