Dancing with Chains: A Case Study of Data Journalism in China

Abstract

In authoritarian China, where journalism is under censorship and access to information is limited, doing data-driven journalism means extra challenges. However, China’s data journalists seem to have been dancing with chains. Data journalism is increasingly an effective vehicle for news media to tell stories with complexity, unveil the truth, and uphold social justice. Data journalism is thriving in China, the chief practitioner of which is Caixin Media’s data group, which won the Global Editors Network (GEN) 2018 Data Journalism Awards in the “Best Data Journalism Team (large newsroom)” category last year. Caixin VisLab’s winning of this award marks the first time a China-based media outlet has won a well-recognized competition in the field of data journalism, symbolizing the first-class status of China’s data journalism on the global stage. This chapter presents a case study into the emerging practice of data journalism in communist China. It is based on a content analysis of the data-driven news works produced by Caixin VisLab since its establishment in 2013, as well as a review of documented background information regarding the general development of data journalism in the country. It is also sourced from an in-depth interview with Zhimin Huang, founder of Caixin VisLab, who is commonly called “China’s first person of data journalism.” This chapter identifies and examines actors, data access conditions, practices, and the required tools and skills in Caixin’s data news. It addresses the subject matter from several perspectives pertinent to data journalism in China, including (1) development and status, (2) source and content, (3) the challenges of working data in a tightly monitored media environment, (4) divergence from the Western standard practices, and (5) opportunities and prospect.