“In the Beginning Were the Data”: Economic Journalism as/and Data Journalism

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article argues that the logic of data journalism has been a driving force in journalism since its beginnings, particularly in the case of economic journalism. Economic journalism has historically integrated five central aspects of data journalism: working with data and databases; the development of a conceptual infrastructure for data analysis and storytelling; the regular use of visualization tools; the application of new technologies to the peculiarities of economic data; and the integration of different professional profiles in the newsrooms. By analyzing economic journalism - the first among equals of data journalism - the article argues that data journalism can extract some lessons from economic news in order to improve the extension of data stories to every news beat. Four recommendations are drawn: the importance of a balanced management of data exuberance, their newsworthiness, and the analytical and conceptual tools used to interpret them; the aim of visualization should be more conceptual than descriptive, in order to simplify and clarify complex issues, and relationships between data, to make the explanation of current affairs more relevant and understandable; data journalism needs a harmonious integration of investigative projects with day-to-day coverage; and data journalism should avoid the perils of technological determinism.