This three-part project looks at how audiences engage with and understand di erent types of data within Canadian online news media and the ways Canadian audiences best understand this numerical and statistical content. In particular, Phase 1 identifies the distribution of news topics in Canadian news in order to then understand the amount and types of data that are present (Phase 2). Finally, in Phase 3 it explores the extent to which di erent presentations of quantitative data—be it visual, narrative or numerical—impact a news readers’ ability to correctly interpret this content, and whether certain combinations of data types and/or presentation formats improve comprehension. The project ultimately seeks to be able to make industry recommendations on the best ways to present quantitative information in the news.
Data literacy and quantitative communication in Canadian news media
AHL3900 project description
Research Project and Objectives
Research Approaches
Content analysis, literature review, data visualization, and data communication.
Skills
(1) Content analysis of online news media, (2) Analysis of quantitative data presentation (numerical, visual, and narrative formats), (3) Audience comprehension and interpretation research, (4) Experimental and survey-based research design, (5) Data visualization and data communication, and (6) Translation of research findings into industry recommendations
Hours
30 hours in the form of weekly meetings / co-working sessions with the research team (~3 hours / week). Remaining time independent research.