THE EMERGENCE OF PANDEMIC-DRIVEN
DATA JOURNALISM
By Nabila Hasnor
In times of crisis where data on COVID-19 is the main determinant of the direction of economics, politics and social interaction in this country, data journalism has shown its significance in decision-making and information-giving.
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Today, it is leading the media industry against the fight of the highly contagious virus, and as we grow more reliant on data, 2020 saw a steep increase in its utilization in reporting.
The media industry is now adapting to the new norm and doing it fast to fulfil their core function; to inform, to educate and to entertain the public.
During the Journalism Colloquium organised by UiTM Shah Alam’s journalism students, Astro Awani’s Managing Editor Ashwad Ismail shared how they have adapted to the new environment after the COVID-19 outbreak. Even though it has been almost one year since the newsroom modified the way they operate, they are still learning new things.
“That struggle helps us to discover a lot of new things and fasten our process to adapt to digitalization. For example, the way we do our business, the way we do our reporting daily and the way we communicate among each other. We have come to realize that we need more technological advancements that help us to propel our industry,” he stated.
Diyana Pfordten, a data journalist at The Star also shared her views on the changes in data journalism after the COVID-19 outbreak.  
“I think it brings more opportunities rather than challenges, as leading news organisations in the field are keener to explore and share their knowledge on the matter. 
 
“The only hindsight would be that the field is still new in Malaysia, hence there are limited data journalists around, who can help in the process of exchanging knowledge and ideas. In my opinion, data journalism is still considered a ‘nice to have’ rather than it being the core field in news agencies,” she said.  
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Despite the lack of data journalists in Malaysia’s newsrooms, this does not imply that the journalists are incapable to adapt with the sudden change in delivering news to the public and it can be seen in their reporting.
During the initial stage of the outbreak, press statements from the government would state the number of new cases detected and the number of cases discharged, but they did not clarify where, which demographics were involved, or any other details that might help make sense of the outbreak for the citizens.
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However, the media industry was quick to identify this issue. One of the most crucial pieces of information that wasn’t included in the press statements was the whereabouts of the COVID-19 patients 14 days before they were quarantined. This information could notify the public and at the same time encourage those who were in close contact with said patients to take the COVID-19 swab test.
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The first news portal that offered this service is Malaysiakini through Kini News Lab, a news website focusing on data-driven stories. Ever since its publication of the data, it has inspired other news websites to follow suit.
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Not only that, but it is also not inaccurate to say that Malaysiakini’s COVID-19 tracker is the most sophisticated COVID-19 tracker in Malaysia to utilize data visualisation reporting that is both engaging and informative.
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One of Malaysiakini's COVID-19 tracker's features enables Malaysians to assess the places that are possibly exposed to the highly-contagious virus.
Source: Malaysiakini
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Berita Harian's interactive map that consists of the coronavirus cases in more specified areas for each state.
Source: Berita Harian
The most prevalent data visualizations that are utilized by news outlets in Malaysia include the list of overall cases, which is an interactive map that enables Malaysians to find their locations in the state that includes simplified dataset, and the bar chart of number of cases according to each state.
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Astro Awani's bar chart race data of cumulative COVID-19 cases according to each state in Malaysia.
Source: Astro Awani
These tools have given Malaysians a better insight on the COVID-19 situation, providing perspective and context to complex data.
“The data journalism field is still not yet fully explored by our local news agencies. As digitalisation plays an important role in news, I believe data journalists will be in high demand soon.  
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“If we want to compete or at least try to emulate leading news organisations like the New York Times and The Straits Times, then the field must be explored, invested in and taken seriously from now on. It is great that universities are now shaping talents in the right direction,” Diyana said. 
Role of Journalists in Disseminating Accurate Data
Despite the increasing reliance on COVID-19 data, one must always be wary of the accuracy and facts delivered in the reports. In some countries, journalists say that there are inaccurate reports on the numbers and in others, it is evident that their governments are deliberately shielding the official reports of COVID-19 cases from the public.
In China, a journalist from South China Morning Post and his team realized that the government was delivering ‘misleading’ data as they didn’t include the asymptomatic cases in the figures of affected up until the 1st of April last year. Coupled with the strict internet censorship imposed by the government, the journalists found it harder to verify the figures.
The Chinese government pressured news outlets as reported by CPJ, to take down articles and stories that contradict the idea that their government is doing well in curbing the COVID-19 infections.
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Brazil on the other hand, faced a challenging administration as President Jair Bolsonaro’s government seemed to be ‘downplaying’ the plague when they stopped releasing the historical data on the number of cases and deaths from the coronavirus in the country in early June.
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Instead, they only released data on new cases and deaths from 24 hours past. However, due to the public’s calling for the restoration of the historical data, Brazil started to release the cumulative data again.
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Even so, Brazilian journalists still face complications to access the information surrounding the demographics of the COVID-19 affectees, data on the testing and how the country’s total mortality rate has changed during the pandemic.
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Following the situation, journalists are at the front in making sure the public receives the most reliable information. Fortunately for Malaysia, journalists have less restriction in obtaining data regarding the coronavirus disease from the government and related officials.
“We work closely with the government of the day, Ministry of Health (MOH), and Malaysian National Security Council (NSC) and we understand for sure what our frontliners are dealing with down there,” Ashwad stated.
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Ashwad added that aside from working closely with the authorities, they also cross-check from the resources they have on the ground including talking to other sources and monitoring the magnitude of the situation.
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He added that the team of Astro Awani don’t just rely on the numbers provided by the MOH, they also go on the ground to monitor the truth behind the data received.
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He cited the severe coronavirus outbreak in Sabah after the state election caused the number of COVID-19 cases to skyrocket. The Awani team witnessed how MOH mobilized frontliners teams from the Peninsular to Sabah.
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“We can only rely on credible data from government sources, but I must admit there are challenges involving the consolidation of information by different agencies or states which occurs behind the scenes.  
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“The best way is to cross-check the data with the states or other departments involved to ensure that there aren't any underlying issues that need to be addressed.”  Diyana comments, on how they ensure data accuracy at The Star.  
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The media industry holds a great responsibility to deliver credible and accurate news entrusted to them and thus requires comprehensive measures to fulfil the obligation.