Analytic journalism
Encyclopedia
Analytic journalism seeks to make sense of a complex reality
in order to create public understanding. It combines some aspects of investigative journalism
and explanatory reporting. Analytic journalism can be seen as a response to professionalized communication from powerful agents, information overload and growing complexity in a globalised world. It aims at creating evidence-based interpretations of reality, often confronting the dominant ways of understanding a specific phenomenon.
It is distinctive in terms of research practices and journalistic product. At times, social science research methodologies are used. The journalist gains expertise on a particular topic, to identify a phenomenon that is not readily obvious. At its best, investigative journalism is deeply analytic, but its intent is primarily to expose; analytic journalism's primary aim is to explain. It contextualizes its subject by describing background, historical details and statistical data. The result is a comprehensive explanation, intended to shape the audience’s perception of the phenomenon. Analytic journalism aspires to collect disparate data and make connections that are not immediately apparent; its effectiveness is often in the analysis between the facts rather than the facts themselves, and is critically engaged with other arguments and explanations. In this way, analytic journalists attempt to give a deeper understanding of an issue.
Analytic journalists attempt to construct new frames
or angles through which to reconfigure understanding. They help bring the background into the foreground and "making it thereby available for conversation and collective notion".
The legitimacy of the author's voice
is created by the coherent assembly of facts and evidence.
The Institute of Analytic Journalism employs a rather general definition and positions it within a critical approach: "critical thinking and analysis using a variety of intellectual tools and methods to understand multiple phenomena and to communicate the results of those insights to multiple audiences in a variety of ways."
A more pragmatic definition suggested by Johnson points out the necessary variables of analytic thinking: "frame the appropriate question; find and retrieve appropriate data; use appropriate analytic tools; show what you know with story-appropriate media."
De Burgh compares analytic journalism with news reporting: "news reporting is descriptive and news reporters are admired when they describe in a manner that is accurate, explanatory, vivid or moving, regardless of medium. Analytic journalism, on the other hand, seeks to take the data available and reconfigure it, helping us to ask questions about the situation or statement or see it in a different way." Therefore, de Burgh sees the role of analytic journalists as follows: "the duties if today’s journalist can be divided roughly into three basic functions: Hunter-gatherer of information; Filter; and Explainer. Only in our role as ‘explainer’, as storyteller, do journalists appear to have a reasonable secure position. To ‘explain’, they have to more than ‘report’… what a Prime minister or a general has to say."
Analytic journalism incorporates different journalistic approaches, strategies and genres. The graphic below illustrates the unique characteristics of analytic journalism. It illustrates how analytic journalism draws from multiple, but not all, journalistic disciplines.
Reality
In philosophy, reality is the state of things as they actually exist, rather than as they may appear or might be imagined. In a wider definition, reality includes everything that is and has been, whether or not it is observable or comprehensible...
in order to create public understanding. It combines some aspects of investigative journalism
Investigative journalism
Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, often involving crime, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years researching and preparing a report. Investigative journalism...
and explanatory reporting. Analytic journalism can be seen as a response to professionalized communication from powerful agents, information overload and growing complexity in a globalised world. It aims at creating evidence-based interpretations of reality, often confronting the dominant ways of understanding a specific phenomenon.
It is distinctive in terms of research practices and journalistic product. At times, social science research methodologies are used. The journalist gains expertise on a particular topic, to identify a phenomenon that is not readily obvious. At its best, investigative journalism is deeply analytic, but its intent is primarily to expose; analytic journalism's primary aim is to explain. It contextualizes its subject by describing background, historical details and statistical data. The result is a comprehensive explanation, intended to shape the audience’s perception of the phenomenon. Analytic journalism aspires to collect disparate data and make connections that are not immediately apparent; its effectiveness is often in the analysis between the facts rather than the facts themselves, and is critically engaged with other arguments and explanations. In this way, analytic journalists attempt to give a deeper understanding of an issue.
What do analytic journalists make use of
As analytic journalism attempts to transcend regular news reporting, which is primarily designed to relay facts, analytic journalists must use critical methods that allow them to present information in a way that distinguishes it from hard news. Analytic journalism often applies the scientific method of testing and retesting of hypotheses against the evidence. Assumptions are systematically tested by verifying, affirming and altering hypotheses.Analytic journalists attempt to construct new frames
Framing
Framing or enframing may refer to:* Framing , the most common carpentry work* Framing or Framing effect , terminology used in communication theory, sociology, and other disciplines where it relates to the construction and presentation of a fact or issue "framed" from a particular perspective*...
or angles through which to reconfigure understanding. They help bring the background into the foreground and "making it thereby available for conversation and collective notion".
The legitimacy of the author's voice
Writer's voice
Writer's voice is the literary term used to describe the individual writing style of an author. Voice was generally considered to be a combination of a writer's use of syntax, diction, punctuation, character development, dialogue, etc., within a given body of text . Voice can be thought of in terms...
is created by the coherent assembly of facts and evidence.
Additional definitions
According to Adam and Clark Analytic journalists should retrieve and adapt methodologies from other disciplines in order to enlarge journalism so that it incorporates more knowledge and methods generated by historians, social scientist, anthropologists, and critics.The Institute of Analytic Journalism employs a rather general definition and positions it within a critical approach: "critical thinking and analysis using a variety of intellectual tools and methods to understand multiple phenomena and to communicate the results of those insights to multiple audiences in a variety of ways."
A more pragmatic definition suggested by Johnson points out the necessary variables of analytic thinking: "frame the appropriate question; find and retrieve appropriate data; use appropriate analytic tools; show what you know with story-appropriate media."
De Burgh compares analytic journalism with news reporting: "news reporting is descriptive and news reporters are admired when they describe in a manner that is accurate, explanatory, vivid or moving, regardless of medium. Analytic journalism, on the other hand, seeks to take the data available and reconfigure it, helping us to ask questions about the situation or statement or see it in a different way." Therefore, de Burgh sees the role of analytic journalists as follows: "the duties if today’s journalist can be divided roughly into three basic functions: Hunter-gatherer of information; Filter; and Explainer. Only in our role as ‘explainer’, as storyteller, do journalists appear to have a reasonable secure position. To ‘explain’, they have to more than ‘report’… what a Prime minister or a general has to say."
How analytic journalism supplements other forms of journalism
While investigative journalism aims at exposing, analytic journalism aims at explaining. Following a trail of evidence, investigative journalism is more inclined to follow a particular guilty party, while analytic journalism is more inclined to follow that evidence to broaden understanding of the issue or phenomenon. Analytic journalism focuses on creating meaning out of information that may not be hidden, but dispersed.Analytic journalism incorporates different journalistic approaches, strategies and genres. The graphic below illustrates the unique characteristics of analytic journalism. It illustrates how analytic journalism draws from multiple, but not all, journalistic disciplines.