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thepaperclippings · 5 months

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Data Viz

The evaluation and analysis of data will all go to waste if they are not organized and presented properly. The impact and message of the datasets must be understandable to the public at a glance, hiding all the pesky process of trying to make sense of it. If a data set is mapped effectively, the story will be paid more attention (specifically now when people mostly look just in the headlines and news cards).

As for the group report, I really think it was a fun exercise that enabled us to apply our lecture on properly analyzing data starting from the cleaning process, seeking out other documents, to presenting the actual findings.

This activity emphasized how a single dataset will most likely not contain the full story. It highlights the need to exhaust one’s efforts in seeking other datasets, files, that may enrich, support, or debunk the story.

Apart from this, the activity also taught us that browsing through news stories and legal developments is necessary to provide contextual information in the report. It brings us back to the introductory, yet crucial note that data sets do not sit pretty in a vacuum. These are sets of narrations and activities that are prompted by the material and social conditions in which people llive.

A raw data set seldom contains the story behind the numbers and figures, so it is the ethical responsibility jof ournalists to consult or verify with other sources to find out contextual information that can explain the behavior of the data.

We are actually considering to pursue our data story on graduates with honors at UP Diliman because the issue of class has been consistently brought up throughout the years. There was a study from the UP School of Economics revealing that students from high income families are most likely to enter the university and get their first choice of degree program. The demographic of students today are also being questioned, and maybe this is a nice angle to take off from.

We have already sent interview requests to organizations, agencies, and people concerned with our story. Hopefully, this can make our investigative report roll into fruition.

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thepaperclippings · 5 months

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Build, build, build datasets on build build build program

It’s one thing to organize and clean a dataset, but it’s also another thing to analyze and draw conclusions.

This part of the course is really helpful for our story about ODA-funded projects since our topic is quite technical, quantitative, and reliant on data. No conclusion will be made without data regarding the foreign-assisted projects.

As of the moment, we have started to build our dataset by filtering out the ongoing and already approved transport-related and ODA-funded projects in NCR based on the list provided by the Department of Transportation. We individually sourced the details of each project from separate loan agreements coming from the Department of Finance. We have now filled out the foreign banks or institutions that provided the loans; how much they lent; and when each agreement was signed.

However, the original timelines of each project are yet to be supplied and finalized. We are still waiting for documents and data to be sent by the concerned agencies because this doesn’t seem to be publicly available.

We are also planning to physically visit the offices as this may expedite our request for the documents. Once we get over this hurdle, we will immediately begin the process of interviewing experts and case studies to make our story stand.

We understand that our knowledge of contracts, loans, and financial agreements is limited so we really plan to consult expert opinions as much as we can.

We still have to clean our data by converting all currencies into pesos and consolidating multiple loans under certain projects, but at the very least we are going somewhere. We always make sure to cite and bookmark our sources so we can make sure that everything is verified.

After completing the dataset, we will try to see if our hypothesis will prosper and crosscheck it with our interviewees.

To be honest, I’m starting to realize now that the topic we chose is indeed ambitious and difficult. But, hopefully, we can still pull this off.

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thepaperclippings · 6 months

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Data, data, Paano ka ginawa?

For someone who has not received any formal learning experience about MS Excel or Google Sheets in the span of six years that I stayed in high school, last Tuesday’s session about its basics was something I really enjoyed and appreciated.

Before, I only used Excel when I wanted to play with things in rows and columns; but now, I can actually use it for something serious and academic.

More important than navigating the application, however, it stood out to me how data should be organized and “cleaned” first before evaluating and looking for trends and patterns.

With data, especially when dealing with numbers or figures, one simple oversight can result in inaccurate or imprecise results, which we do not want if we want to stay ethical and — more importantly — not behind bars.

Just as I thought that obtaining or building a dataset was already difficult, I was introduced to messy, old, and super raw datasets coming from government agencies. I imagine life would have been a tad bit easier for journalists if datasets were authentic and organized properly (without pesky typographical errors, merged cells, vacant rows, etc.)

I also appreciated the use of pivot tables to narrow down our searches and zoom into particular variables. As someone who does not look straight (no pun intended) at lines and columns, pivot tables are indeed beneficial to temporarily hide other details of the dataset and just focus on its select aspects.

I also like how in all of the Excel exercises, we never leave out the question of looking for other data sets to complement, support, refute, or provide more contextual information to our analysis.

While data and figures are undeniably helpful in establishing trends and drawing correlations between two things or events, the entire set sometimes does not capture the whole picture. The nuances can be supplemented by consulting other sources and pursuing more relevant information.

Yesterday, a TikTok video and account teaching Excel tips and techniques came across my “for you” page and I gave it a follow. Perhaps during my free time, I can practice and experiment to learn more about the app.

With regard to our investigative report, our group has officially narrowed down the ODA-funded projects related to the transport sector. However, it looks like the other details have to be individually sourced from documents and other sources.

Either way, we cannot just sit and wait, so we’ll make do with what we have at the moment and build a comprehensive compilation of the projects’ details.

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thepaperclippings · 6 months

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Anywhere I go, Math follows me

While the thought of enlisting in a Data Journalism class has always thrilled me, the fear of not doing well in the subject has also prevailed over me for two reasons: (1) of all the pesky branches of Mathematics, statistics was the one I hated the most, and (2) I have never learned how to strategically use Excel or Google Sheets.

However, I realized from last Tuesday’s session that Data Journalism in this day and age is becoming a necessary skill set to arrive at more compelling stories and keep up with the continuously evolving technology.

As journalists, we know at the very least how to assess if a story is better told visually using documentaries and photos, or through online and print articles. Similar to this thinking, we have to admit that some stories are indeed better told using data and statistics because these allow us to show trends, patterns, and correlations that could be easily digested and visualized by our readers.

By using data as a takeoff and main component of our journalistic stories, we also get the chance to put actual meaning, value, and relevance to mere numbers. For instance, a data set containing details about road accidents could initially mean nothing to people. However, if we can evaluate the data and make conclusions, say, on the most common causes of these road accidents, it could trigger a change or call of action either from the people or by policymakers.

I also learned that data, as a scientific and objective fragment of information, has the potential to make our stories more credible and a bit protected from external bias.

While the personal narratives, statements, and stories of individual case studies are of course reliable as well, large data enables us journalists to generalize sound conclusions (at least to a certain extent). This makes our stories less of a clump of personal observations, and more of a “proven and tested” thing.

Further, I understand that data journalism is not just about knowing how to read and gather data sets. It is also important to be knowledgeable and persistent about building one’s own set of data.

In our story, in particular, although the ODA-funded projects are narrowed down to one agency, which is the DOTr, we are bracing ourselves for the possibility of having to build our own data set from documents and information coming from separate foreign banks and institutions in case the bureaucracy of the local agency hits us with a deadlock.

Fortunately, the DOTr has already provided us with an Excel File containing a highlighted list of ODA-funded projects under their agency. However, this only specifies and confirms that they are indeed funded by foreign loans and grants. The other details of the projects with regard to their timeline, cause of delay, etc has to be sourced from other data sets or documents.

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thepaperclippings · 6 months

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Week 5: Learning from the experienced

If we want to know the ins and outs of ODA-related news stories, there’s no better person to consult than an actual journalist who has experience in not only navigating the financial beats but also regularly writing reports on them.

As part of our research process on ODA-funded projects, we were able to secure an interview with Ted Cordero, a senior news producer from GMA, who reports on business and finance-related issues.

Generous is an understatement to describe how Mr. Cordero accommodated our requests. He gave us leads and contact information for media-related undersecretaries of agencies concerned with our investigative report.

This stemmed from his striking remark about the E-FOI portal, saying that it is often not useful due to its delayed responses. He says that while it is an easily accessible avenue to request documents, it is still better to directly contact the institutions and people concerned.

In fact, we already have firsthand experience of reaching a deadlock because of FOI. Specifically, our E-FOI request for the contracts of ODA-funded transport projects was denied by the Department of Transportation (DOTr), saying we should seek the document from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

However, when we requested the same document from MMDA, they also referred us back to DOTr, as if we were a basketball being passed back and forth by these agencies.

Mr. Cordero advised us to start from the mother agencies like NEDA, DOF, and COA before narrowing down our legwork to our focus agency which is the DOTr.

Essentially, he told us to follow the ODA-funded projects from conception up to fruition, which interestingly mirrors the entire process of investigative reporting as a whole. If we want to go deeper with our investigative story, Mr. Cordero also advised us to review congressional hearings on the General Appropriations Bill, specifically those that concern our focus agency.

This made me realize the importance of “zooming out” to enhance our perspective and get a full grasp of our paper trail. The documents do not magically arrive at NEDA or the DOF. They are first planned and proposed in other institutions, which we must also consider to further contextualize our story.

Much like a “trail,” the documents and information we acquire must already have a story of its own. We, as journalists, must only package it with proper contexts and interpretation.

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thepaperclippings · 6 months

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"There should be a document for this" Repeat until true

The first step in finding the documents you need for an investigation is gaslighting yourself that what you are looking for actually exists. Some agencies withholding information related to our report may feel like unfamiliar territories, especially those that are technical and jargon-ly like finance, science, or health. As student journalists who are still in the process of learning, it is understandable that we do not always have complete mastery over an agency’s tasks and responsibilities, including the information they have, let alone information they can give.

The key to resolving these doubts is sharpening the mentality or belief that government offices and organizations operate in the spirit of formality and legal processes. Contracts, agreements, memorandums, resolutions — we must think that all of these are surely documented on paper or digitally before they are ruled in effect.

If all things remain uncertain on our end, however, I also realized that asking, inquiring, and requesting could sometimes go a long way (both positively and negatively).

By long way, I mean fruitful and favorable, but sometimes it could also mean bureaucracy and red tape.

I think it’s imperative to note here that even though government offices are generally required to provide the information we need, they can still delay or table our request (either intentionally or not). This is why as journalists, we go back to our ethical responsibility of being tenacious with doing follow-ups, finding workarounds or alternative routes, and even crafting scary appeals (if necessary).

Moreover, the “document state of mind” also applies to people and case studies. When considering an interview with anyone, it is important to never pre-empt ourselves with negativity and think that they will immediately turn down our requests

Last year when I was still a sophomore, I felt so uncertain about emailing journalists for an interview because I thought all of them would just reject me, considering the busy nature of their jobs. However, I was immediately proven wrong when all three of my options agreed and suddenly I was the one scared of turning them down.

Now that I’m learning more about investigative reports, I realize that It is way way better to be perceived as “makulit,” rather than lazy or unethical for not acquiring the documents needed to make our stories stand.

As my groupmates and I fill out the “Original Reporting” part of our notebook, we are essentially brought back to the basic definition of Investigative Journalism — pursuing information and stories out of one’s own volition.

While previous and existing reports, statements, and data were there to guide us to know more about the stories we want to work on, the whole brunt of the information we need still needs to be sought and requested one by one.

In the meantime, while we wait for the results of our e-FOI requests, our group has already set interviews with journalists and experts to learn more about the ins and outs of our topic.

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thepaperclippings · 7 months

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Brainstorming . . . Twice

I think what made it difficult for our group to settle on a specific topic was separating what counts as an in-depth report and what stories actually have an “investigative angle.”

After the activity on story pitching and with the help of our consultation with Prof. Karol, it became clear to our group that not all enterprise articles could pass off as investigative reports.

While both types of stories could require the rigorous process of researching, acquiring documents, evaluating data, and interviewing case studies, it is important to note that investigative reports are quite unique because they have to unveil something that has not been significantly floated up as an issue yet.

On top of this blurry line between their difference, we also have to consider and weigh how sound our investigation would be. It felt like we were playing a game of chess, thinking of the details and feasibility of our investigative article some three or four moves ahead of the moment.

Thinking about it, I’m thankful that Prof. Karol has already pointed out the issues with our current pitches. It would have been much harder if we had continued with an overlooked topic and later on struggled halfway through the information-gathering process.

I also realized from here how crucial and tricky the concept of hypothesis is. Although it is essentially just a “guess,” a hypothesis still needs to be supported by several sources to ensure that (1) the issue actually exists and (2) it could prosper as a subject of investigation.

Yes, we do not have to know everything about the topic yet, but a strong foundation of facts-driven speculations can really help us build authenticity to our report.

Further, I would like to share that I enjoyed doing the term isolation technique. From my perspective, I think it’s a really great model to flesh out, organize, and concretize the things that we need to make the story work.

In a way, it provides us a checklist of the steps and questions we need to accomplish and answer for ourselves.

It made me realize that questions can also have the same power as answers. In doing investigative reports, I think it is safe to say that thinking of the right line of inquiry can, in the end, lead us to the proper answers.

After all, the first step of finding something is determining what it is that needs to be found. We won’t be able to dig the right gems if we will pound on the wrong soil.

For now, our group will try our best to maintain our pace and keep up with the entire class. Although we were a bit behind compared to others last time, I’m quite happy now that we are back on track!

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thepaperclippings · 7 months

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Marites: The potential birth of IJ pieces

Journalism isn’t chismis, but sometimes, we have to admit that it could provide an entry point for impactful stories that remain underground. Although trusting rumors is one of the deadliest sins a journalist could commit, you have to wonder sometimes why such stories are only being transferred from ear to ear, through word of mouth, instead of public and official dissemination. We should be thinking, maybe there is a reason why these pieces of information are repressed behind anonymity and silent voices.

In the context of investigative reporting, a rumor can sometimes serve as a lead. It could even provide us a hypothesis that we can subsequently test through proper journalistic legwork: documents, interviews, and gathering data.

Living in a country where gossiping is essentially a cultural norm— something that binds several members of a community— it is highly possible that some important truths are always lying around in their words. We just have to dig, verify, cross-check, and straighten things out.

Indeed, people are more comfortable contributing to a story or hypothesis that we already know, instead of retelling everything from scratch. If we come to think of it, it’s easier to expound on “yes and no” than answer “what, how, and why” questions. Moreover, if people think that we already have an idea on a certain issue regardless of its confidential nature, I do think they are less likely to feel guilt in correcting or giving us more details. That’s how powerful a hypothesis can be —- it gives us a sort of head start and something to follow and expect.

In fact, Hunter said that unfulfilled expectations or promises can make good hypotheses. When there is an observable gap between the reality and the “supposed to be,” a story is already unfolded. The in-betweens of point A and point B must then be connected.

Just like rumors, however, Hunter also described a hypothesis as dangerous. While it can guide us into actually coming up with stories and leads, it could also lure us to disregard evidence in exchange for a juicy story anchored on our initial hypothesis.

As journalists, we should avoid getting caught up in proving our hypothesis. If our story takes on a detour, we should accept the new facts presented to us, and build another hypothesis from it. I guess this speaks a lot about our ability to unlearn and relearn things to make our investigative report work. It speaks a lot about our resilience — to recover and push through even if the circumstances are not in our favor

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thepaperclippings · 7 months

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Week 1: Investigative Reporting, what sets it apart

“The reporter refuses to accept the world as it is.”

Among the many paths of journalism that I can choose from, I guess I could say that beat reporting is really the one that resonates with me the most. And if you know me, this already speaks a lot about my “interest” or certainty in the field given my chronic indecisiveness.

Something about its routine-like, niched, and often fast-paced aspect makes it appealing to me as a career.

Counter-intuitively, however, I didn’t realize that It is also through this understanding and perspective that I would begin to appreciate the arduous process of another side of a newspaper — investigative reporting Upon reading Hunter’s points, I realized that we, journalists, could not claim to report the “truth,” if we are only scraping and exploring surface sources of information or if we are only at the defensive-slash-receiving end of everything that is happening around us.

It is a no-brainer that in this age of cruelty and ongoing class struggle, some lived experiences are really hidden, either forcibly or voluntarily, because of several reasons, including fear, sensitivities, and regulations often for the benefit of those who have the “upper hand.”

Investigative journalism, as I appreciate it at least, allows us to go beyond the tip of the iceberg — to be on the offensive side by pursuing stories of our own volition.

One thing that really struck a chord in me is the lengthy and rigorous process of investigative reporting. Although this is indeed exhausting and difficult, I would argue that this type of legwork is not necessarily a bad thing.

If anything, I do think this just goes to show how we value accuracy in the field. Moreover, I also believe that this just stems from our ethical responsibility of minimizing harm. We understand that with the words we publish, we are bound to attach meanings, both good and bad, to the reputations of different people.

Apart from this, we are also being careful not to destroy our own reputation and credibility as a journalist, and by extension the publication that trusted our stories.

Prospects: Strengths and weaknesses

Based on the readings, I expect that I would struggle a bit with the entire stretch of the investigative reporting process. While I do enjoy going over documents, websites and sources, personally asking people around is not my forte. I am still challenging myself when it comes to knocking on strangers’ doors and asking them for favors.

Don’t get me wrong. I certainly can do interviews and case studies. But I always struggle to muster up a handful of courage first before I actually do it.

Hopefully, my group mates and I can work together to build on this weakness. I am very much looking forward to the rest of the semester.

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