What Every Newsroom Needs to Know About Reporting with Graphs

Newsrooms typically face three problems when it comes to reporting data:

1. Not being able to visualize data in a fast and effective manner
2. Not being able to present the data in an interactive and consistent way
3. Insufficient knowledge of how to use visualization tools

The Struggle of Visualizing Timely Data

Right now you may struggle with data visualization when reporting facts and figures. Creating a good looking graph or infographic can often be a time consuming process involving the data team and the design team, which is resource intensive. In a newsroom you need to be on top of the headlines with access to graphs featuring data you received minutes prior.

Why Visualize Data?

When you’re covering a breaking news story you may feel like you don’t have time to spend crafting infographics and charts. But, graphs that are accurate and effective make a lasting impression and hold the viewer’s attention longer.

Workflows of the Past

A popular way to speed up the data visualization process is to download an Excel or Google sheet graph, which can be fast but has some major drawbacks. The graph will be static and generic and wont match the style guidelines of the media organization you work for.

More equipped newsrooms typically have an inhouse design team or they contract out visualizations to digital media firms. This may lead to beautiful results, but it is often costly and slow.

The Solution?

We have looked at the situation and come up with the best solution; a platform that solves this exact problem. Specialization and outsourcing is key. When a platform solves a specific problem it can cut cost dramatically and increase the quality of the end result. This is where Infogram comes in! Infogram can provide busy newsrooms with simple, highly customized interactive visualizations – ready to share with millions of viewers in a matter of minutes!

Let’s Visualize Some Real Data

The Australian Bureau of Statistics may have just posted a press release on the state of the Australian housing market. In this scenario they provide you with tabulated data that is easy to access, copy, and ultimately visualize. With Infogram you can save time and visualize the data on your own. Infogram provides you with customizable templates that you can aline with you brand and you won’t need to consult with designers. The data from the ABS is tabulated in a way Infogram understands. It may seem daunting, but if you are familiar with spreadsheet software like Excel or Google Spreadsheets you shouldn’t have a problem. You can copy and paste your data or connect the data live to a Google Spreadsheet.

Using this method you can easily produce an interactive chart and infographic that looks this good in just minutes:

Native Looking Content is Key

Data visualizations need to look native and natural, matching other content on the site. Style guidelines need to be followed and responsive graphics (mobile compatibility) should be standard. Any visible differences between content and visualizations needs to be eliminated.

Nielsen and Domain.com.au do a great job with customizing their charts:

• Color coded and native looking content is key
• This consistent styling keeps readers immersed in the content
• Highly branded and stylized visualizations reinforce credibility
• Native looking content allows you to report large amounts of data without confusing the reader

Cutting Down Workflow and Eliminating Bottlenecks in a Newsroom

Many media organizations have a data team that is concerned with analyzing data before passing it off to people who can report and visualize the data. With Infogram that same data team can create graphs and infographics themselves! 

Learn more about the best practices to speed up workflow, increase reader attention and quality of content through data visualisation in your newsroom.