A Global Perspective on Data Journalism Materiality

Knowledge Production across Public Transparency Infrastructure Environments

Bibliographic Data

ID22010753
AuthorsLindita Camaj (0000-0002-5934-6159, University of Houston, corresponding author), Gerry Lanosga (0000-0002-1807-5866, Indiana University Bloomington), Jason Martin (0000-0002-2618-7403, DePaul University)
Year2025
Volume13
Issue3
Pages418-437
Publication date2025-03-16
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueDigital Journalism (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2167-0811 • E-ISSN: 2167-082X
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/21670811.2023.2278040
OpenAlexW4388733992
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited40

It is widely accepted that data materiality serves as the breeding ground of data journalism’s performativity, in some cases functioning as the sole ingredient for news construction. Material identity is closely tied to the historical process that originated it, yet few studies have explored how unequal public policies on government transparency affect news production in data journalism. We bring in a fresh perspective on materiality that taps into research on public transparency to offer a framework for understanding how external social actors influence data knowledge construction. This study analyzed data journalism project entries in the Global Editors Network (GEN) and Sigma Awards from 61 countries to explore data journalism process and products across transparency environments. Results suggest that journalists operating in open data infrastructure are more likely to exhibit a dependency on preprocessed public data and their output exhibits topical diversity, while journalists operating in closed data infrastructures are more likely to use Right to Information legislation and alternative data sources. This study informs the debate on the empiricism of data journalism in knowledge construction, emphasizing how data access (or lack of access) affects not only journalistic epistemology but also power relationships and journalistic roles

Aesthetics · Journalism · Media studies · Open government · Political science · Public relations · Secrecy · Sociology · Law · Media Studies and Communication · Misinformation and Its Impacts · Social Media and Politics

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