Unfolding the Decision-Making Dynamics of News Visualization Production in China

Abstract

News visualization is a journalistic form that centers on delivering information through data visualizations. It is arousing the interest of journalism professionals and scholars worldwide, including those in non-western societies. Limited studies have identified the challenges and opportunities of news visualization's adoption in non-western newsrooms, but the professionals' considerations and actions to deal with these challenges and seize the opportunities are unknown. This study explores the criteria for a valuable news visualization and how professionals balance the criteria and constraints to make news decisions in the newsrooms in China. A grounded analysis drawing on 15 in-depth interviews with professionals reveals the dynamics of source selection, interpretation, and presentation in news visualization production. It also shows that news visualization stories result from the debating and tradeoffs between the "western norms" and the organization's expectations, audiences' preferences, news commercialization, and macro environment in China.