{"id":67057,"date":"2016-03-31T10:47:44","date_gmt":"2016-03-31T08:47:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/how-data-journalism-can-empower-africans-at-the-polls-and-beyond-the-conversation\/"},"modified":"2016-03-31T10:47:44","modified_gmt":"2016-03-31T08:47:44","slug":"how-data-journalism-can-empower-africans-at-the-polls-and-beyond-the-conversation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/how-data-journalism-can-empower-africans-at-the-polls-and-beyond-the-conversation\/","title":{"rendered":"How data journalism can empower Africans at the polls and beyond | The Conversation"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/62e528761d0685343e1c-f3d1b99a743ffa4142d9d7f1978d9686.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com\/files\/116783\/width496\/image-20160330-28459-1cohhu1.jpg\" \/><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">When complex, dense information is presented visually it can make a huge difference.<\/span> <span class=\"attribution\"><span class=\"source\">Shutterstock<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>People in Africa are learning how to demand accountability from their governments. But they have a way to go before fully making the transition from voters to citizens.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s the difference? Voters are \u201csubjects\u201d. They participate in elections hoping to get material benefits from government, but have little or no control over what they get. Citizens, meanwhile, fully understand their political rights and take judicious actions to hold elected representatives accountable.<\/p>\n<p>One way to deepen the attitudes and behaviours of African voters as citizens who demand their rights is to empower them with knowledge. This has been proved in India through legislation that\u2019s allowed ordinary citizens greater access to information. The media has an important role to play in this empowerment \u2013 through visualised storytelling and data journalism.<\/p>\n<h2>What data visualisation can do<\/h2>\n<p>Visualisation is to data journalism what petrol is to a car. It is the fuel that gets the journalist to the destination of telling complex stories driven by facts so that they can be easily understood.<\/p>\n<p>In simple terms, data visualisation involves presenting numerical information using pictures and graphics. Thanks to digital technology, it is now possible to capture, store, analyse and discover a wide variety of data. This retrieved information can then be presented in a consistent, organised way. It can be displayed using strikingly beautiful visuals that grab people\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n<p>When it\u2019s done well, visualisation reveals the trends and patterns in numerical data that could otherwise be hidden. There are many tools that help journalists turn what might appear to be dense or even dull information into something fascinating.<\/p>\n<p><figure>             <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"440\" height=\"260\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5Zg-C8AAIGg?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Data visualisation can change how people see and understand their world.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p>With interactive visualisation, users can use software to drill deeper into charts and graphs for more detail. This intuitively changes what data is seen and how it\u2019s processed. It enhances an audience\u2019s ability to extract answers and make meaning from the information gathered. This allows people to grasp difficult concepts easily and make informed decisions \u2013 such as who\u2019ll get their vote on election day.<\/p>\n<h2>Empowering voters with visualisation<\/h2>\n<p>Twenty-two African countries are holding presidential, parliamentary or general elections in 2016. Critics say that the media offers only shallow reporting and analysis during election campaigns in Africa. They say that newspapers and websites prioritise maximum audience shares and profits by focusing mainly on conflict. In politics, this typically means telling tales of strong individual personalities struggling against one another for power and personal gain. This \u201chorse race\u201d journalism is further encouraged by media owners\u2019 deep investment in maintaining the status quo.<\/p>\n<p>While there is some truth to this, another explanation is that complex social and political issues in election campaigns are difficult to package as compelling news narratives. Typically, complex stories require longer written and verbal descriptions and are more difficult to photograph or televise. They are less exciting to the reader or viewer.<\/p>\n<p>Data journalism and visualisation can really help here. Examples from elsewhere in the world show this is the case.<\/p>\n<p>In the US, for instance, interest in the 2016 presidential election is at a fever pitch. Websites, TV channels, radio stations and newspapers are full of coverage about candidates\u2019 movements, their private lives and their promises. How can an ordinary voter keep track? The <em>New York Times<\/em> has collected data about candidates\u2019 stances on key issues like immigration, climate change and gun control. Visitors to the site can choose a candidate or an issue to explore in depth.<\/p>\n<p>This could just as easily be applied in African countries to help voters keep up with their candidates.<\/p>\n<h2>Beyond politics and elections<\/h2>\n<p>Visualisation can be a powerful tool beyond elections, too. It can help people to engage with complex social issues. The <em>Guardian<\/em>, for example, collated an interactive map about police killings in the US. This allows a deeper but visually engaging look at what\u2019s become a huge societal problem.<\/p>\n<p>Also in the US, data visualisation has made people aware of the abuses in health-care administration. Visualisation has also been used effectively to track the roughly US$  1 trillion developing and emerging economies lose as a result of some illegal activity.<\/p>\n<p>There are some good African examples of visualisation, too. Economist Max Roser has used this approach to track Africa\u2019s general socio-economic and political progress. He collects often complex, multi-layered data and presents it in a way that\u2019s easy for anyone to navigate.<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"align-center zoomable\">             <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/62e528761d0685343e1c-f3d1b99a743ffa4142d9d7f1978d9686.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com\/files\/116782\/width754\/image-20160330-9712-6h0nch.png\"><figcaption>               <span class=\"caption\">Visualised data shows that child mortality in Africa has reduced dramatically since 1990.<\/span>               <span class=\"attribution\">Max Roser\/Our World in Data<\/span>             <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p>A South African website, Wazimap, allows people to explore their own suburbs using data from the country\u2019s 2011 census. They can see how many households in an area have access to proper water and sanitation, or map the average age of residents.<\/p>\n<p>  <iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"cr-embed-ward-79800093-child_households-household_size_distribution\" class=\"census-reporter-embed\" src=\"https:\/\/embed.wazimap.co.za\/static\/iframe.html?geoID=ward-79800093&amp;chartDataID=child_households-household_size_distribution&amp;dataYear=2011&amp;chartType=grouped_column&amp;chartHeight=200&amp;chartQualifier=&amp;chartTitle=Size+of+household+by+age+of+household+head&amp;initialSort=&amp;statType=scaled-percentage\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"100%\" height=\"300\" style=\"margin: 1em; max-width: 720px;\"><\/iframe>      <\/p>\n<h2>Endless opportunities<\/h2>\n<p>There\u2019s no end to how this visualisation can be used. Journalists could track access to energy, map household income distribution, and unpack information about life expectancy and birth rates. Virtually any data that makes citizens more socially and politically aware can be visualised. And keen coverage of complex issues is part of journalists\u2019 responsibility \u2013 whether they\u2019re helping people decide who deserves their vote or uncovering private sector corruption.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Conversation\" height=\"1\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.edu.au\/content\/56299\/count.gif\" width=\"1\" \/> <\/p>\n<p><em><span>Osabuohien P. Amienyi does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond the academic appointment above.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p>\n<strong> Read more on:<\/strong> <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/theconversation.com\/how-data-journalism-can-empower-africans-at-the-polls-and-beyond-56299\">The Conversation \u2013 Articles (AFRICA)<\/a><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<p>Read more on <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/theconversation.com\" target=\"_blank\">The Conversation<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Join the fun:<\/strong> <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/add-your-event\/\">Add Your event<\/a> | <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.mypr.co.za\/submit\">Submit a Press Release<\/a> | <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/directory\/\">Add your listing<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When complex, dense information is presented visually it can make a huge difference. Shutterstock People in Africa are learning how to demand accountability from their governments. But they have a way to go before fully making the transition from voters to citizens. What\u2019s the difference? Voters are \u201csubjects\u201d. They participate in elections hoping to get [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4584],"tags":[4728,7615,8890,4732,5690,8336,4758],"class_list":{"0":"post-67057","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-africa-news-2","7":"tag-africans","8":"tag-beyond","9":"tag-conversation","10":"tag-data","11":"tag-empower","12":"tag-journalism","13":"tag-polls","14":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67057","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67057"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67057\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67057"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67057"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67057"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}