Interactives of
Olympic Proportions
The Diffusion of Data Journalism at
The New York Times
Cindy Royal, Ph.D.
School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Texas State University
cindyroyal.com
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Introduction
• Programming and data techniques are rapidly influencing the
ways organizations tell stories
• Few organizations currently have the resources to deliver
comprehensive, online, data-driven, interactive news
presentations, but many are seeking to gain these
competencies.
• The Olympic Games provide engaging content and visuals,
potential for multimedia, and a plethora of data for presentation
and interaction.
• Starting with the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, the influence
of Interactive News team on the graphic work of the
organization can be observed.
Overview
• This study analyzes the evolution of graphic and data
visualization at The New York Times through the lens of
Olympic coverage since 2008.
• By comparing the graphic coverage
of NYT for the 2008, 2010, 2012
Olympics, this provides a good
barometer for the types of graphic
work being done and the diffusion
of innovation influencing the field
of journalism.
Literature
• “Excellence in statistical graphics consists of
complex ideas communicated with clarity,
precision and efficiency” - Tufte
• “Knowing what to do with data is the essence of the new precision
journalism” - Meyer
• Programmer/Journalist - Holovaty
• Very few articles in mass communication on data journalism
• The Journalist as Programmer
• Data-driven journalism and the public good: “Computer-assisted-reporters”
and “programmer-journalists” in Chicago - Parasie & Dagiral
• Interactivity research – McMillan/Downes, Rafaeli, Sundar, Kiousis
• Diffusion - “The process by which an innovation is communicated
through certain channels over time among the members of a social
system.” - Rogers
Research Questions
• RQ1: How has the presentation of
online graphics on The New York Times
website changed since the 2008 Olympics?
• H1: Over time, The New York Times will present more
Olympic graphics that are interactive.
• H2: Over time, The New York Times will present more
Olympic graphics that display data.
Method
• The main visual Olympic stories done by NYT
since 2008 have been conveniently captured
and archived on topic pages.
• Each interactive was coded for interactivity and
presence of data
2008 Beijing Olympics Interactives
www.nytimes.com/ref/sports/olympics/2008_OLYMPICS_INTERACTIVES.html
Vancouver: 2010 Olympics Multimedia http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/02/22/sports/olympics/olympicsinteractives-index.html
London 2012: Oympics Graphics http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/08/06/sports/olympics/olympicgraphics-collection.html
Number of Interactives
Beijing 2008
30
Vancouver 2010
29
London 2012
22
Interactivity
Assessed on a scale of 1-4
1 – limited interactivity for the user; pushing a play button; no ability
for non-linear navigation
2 – some interactivity and ability for non-linear navigation, i.e.
stepping through a slideshow to select any slide from within any
slide.
3- more advanced interactivity; ability to interact with more than one
event or section
4 – very advanced interactivity; non-linear navigation; ability to
interact with multiple events or sections.
Data
• Data, for the purpose of this study, is defined as numeric
results, times, scores, medal counts, etc.
• Assessed as follows:
• None
• Embedded - the presentation of a limited amount data
within a slideshow or animation, but does not offer any
or much interactivity with the data.
• Data - the presentation of large amount of data, with
the ability to interact with the data or with different
sections of the presentation.
2008 Beijing
• Presentations with animations and limited data
• Photo slideshows or simple audio supplement
Advanced Data Presentation
2010 Vancouver
• Animations to explain and demonstrate techniques
Advanced Data Presentation
www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/02/26/sports/olympics/20100226-olysymphony.html
User Contribution
• 2010 Snowboard Halfpipe Library – allowed users to submit their own
tricks via video.
• 2010 Picturing the Olympics – allowed users to contribute their own
photos from the Vancouver games.
2012 London
• Interactivity, data and integration with multimedia and
animation
• Abandoning Flash
• In 2012, almost half the projects met the criteria for level
3 or 4 of interactivity (compared with 23% in 2008 and
27% in 2010).
Conclusion
• Over time, The New York Times introduced
graphic presentations that were more interactive
and relied more on data
• Understanding how data-driven interactives contribute to
storytelling challenge many aspects of mass communication
research
• content analysis
• application of theory
• ways in which data is applied in a meaningful setting
• Unclear how revenue is to be generated
• Interactive presentations have the potential to attract users with
data that is unique and customizable.
• Interactivity may aid in learning and provide an entertaining use
of media
• Metrics that identify time and engagement may influence future
ad rates
Potential in academic programs
• Few programs have the ability to teach these skills
• Vast opportunity in providing these skills to journalism
students and other communicators
• Potential to reach more females to develop tech and data
skills.
• News delivery via digital methods is the future, and all
participants must become familiar with, if not skilled at,
concepts that include programming and data.
Thank You!
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