Statistics are part of the fabric of the contemporary world. They are a constant part of daily life, influencing how we think and act in ways that many of us no longer recognize because almost every significant aspect of contemporary life can be better understood through statistical interpretation – because no one will contest the veracity of a fact when it is projected with a numerical value. In fact, to the news media organization, statistics have long been a staple of daily news – from “hard news” about politics, economics, business, finance, science and education to “softer” categories such as health, crime, sports and entertainment, community or other areas of social life. And it is likely to become even more so in the future, when the “big data” society is gradually normalised. Yet, when it comes to the quality of such news reporting, the media often “get a bad press” – to the extent that some scientists and experts have come to assume that journalists seldom get numbers right. How, how is the acceptability of data journalism among the public in Nigeria; where the audience are always skeptical of journalists claims?
Many journalists, suffering from a “blind spot” for numbers, tend to dismiss statistics altogether. Confessing that they hate math at school that data make them feel dizzy, they would not hesitate to admit that they choose a journalism career to work with words, not numbers. Yet, one of the major trusts of journalist is the see that audience belief on the veracity of their contents. Still Digital and computational technology is steadily developing and continually bringing changes in the field of journalism, which faces a major crisis, as people’s trust in the media continues to decrease as seen among the Nigerian public.
Data journalism is a way to re-establish and strengthen journalism’s value, as well as to reassure its sustainability. Datasets, tools, policies on Freedom of Information and transparency and professionals become constantly available for data journalism to flourish. The recent interest in data Journalism by several researchers and professional journalists is because it is seen as data- driven journalism, database journalism, computational journalism or data visualization or journalism contents based on numbers and statistics.
To the audience, data-driven reporting is enabling journalists to reinforce their credibility as the society’s arbiter especially during elections when fake news is rife. data journalism, beyond the visual and statistical representations that it entails, might be becoming an important resource for journalists in the country to ensure a fairly accurate representation of events as they unfold, particularly in times of elections. Despite its difficulties, data journalism is trusted and accepted because of the factuality, verifiability, and dependability it brings with it. Therefore, journalism educators should intensify data-driven journalism training and research. Government and other regulators should develop policies or promote legislation that ensures access to data and raises the standard of data-driven journalism because it is a new and compelling field.
–Ngantem, a journalist and public affairs analyst writes from Jalingo, Taraba State.
