September 13, 2022

In the age of big data, there has been growing interest in how journalism can leverage data to deliver meaningful new stories. What has emerged is data journalism – the process of drawing information from datasets and writing stories and creating visualisations based on them. Singapore has not been the exception to this development: during the COVID-19 pandemic, charts and infographics on case numbers were published regularly in local newspapers. However, does data journalism take on the same forms and functions everywhere?

In ‘Asian Newsrooms in Transition: A Study of Data Journalism Forms and Functions in Singapore’s State-Mediated Press System’ (Journalism Studies, 2022), Dr Wu Shangyuan (NUS Communications and New Media) contrasts the forms and functions of data journalism in Asian journalism spheres, against Western newsrooms. She highlights that our understanding of data journalism tends to centre around Western notions of the press as the fourth estate, through its ability to conduct investigative journalism, enhance democracy and empower the public. Asian newsrooms likewise have an abundance of data at their disposal and high interest to transition into the greater practice of data journalism, but operate within strictly regulated media environments.

Singapore in particular is an interesting paradox, because the political climate of strict regulation over the media environment may hinder data journalism, while the government’s focus on technology (especially through the Smart Nation initiative) may enhance it. 

To explore data journalism’s forms and functions in Singapore, Dr Wu conducted interviews with newsworkers and a two-part content analysis, about local newsworkers’ expectations and actual practices of data journalism. Forms of data journalism are shaped by the functions they play, which is in turn influenced by the political, economic, social and cultural context.

The first form of data journalism is everyday data journalism, which is what Singaporean and other Asian newsrooms are comfortable with. It is mostly focused on ‘objective’ news, with low levels of interactivity and high reliance on institutional sources. Hence, this form of data journalism helps the press system play a public service role in simplifying data for wider public understanding.

The second form of data journalism is long data projects, which is more common in Western newsrooms than Asian newsrooms. It often involves reporting on politics, and drawing upon both institutional and non-institutional data to write newstories and create sophisticated data visualisations. In Singapore, what some consider to be an authoritarian political culture and local Confucian values of respecting authority may dissuade Singaporean newsworkers from embarking on long investigative data projects, especially regarding local political affairs. However, they still value such political stories even when they are seen to toe the official line.

In conclusion, Singaporean data journalism improves the audience experience as a news consumer rather than as a citizen, while data stories on politics are focused on global rather than local affairs. Lower data literacy amongst newsworkers may also limit the complexity and variety of data visualisations and encourage frequent reference to only “official sources”. As such, data journalism in Singapore may be informative in less adversarial ways than Western newsrooms, with the press mostly playing the loyal-facilitator role (in positively portraying the state) and occasionally the watchdog role.

Read the article here.

Photo: ‘HUD (Heads up display) concept. Social networking service. Communication network’, iStock/metamorworks