What is "computational journalism?" Researchers at Duke University describe it here as "interactions among journalists, software developers, computer scientists and other scholars." Their use of algorithms, data, and knowledge from social sciences could help preserve the watchdog function of journalism.
A report (PDF file) released this month by Duke's DeWitt Wallace Center for Media and Democracy shows how such collaboration can lead to new tools for supporting investigative reporting.
At a time when revenue for investigations is in short supply, computational journalism—developing computer tools for reporters and citizens to interact with news—can reduce costs while promoting accountability, the researchers say. Several uses for investigative reporting highlighted by the report include:
*Extracting text from scanned government documents, handwritten files, and audio and video transcriptions.
*Creating information timelines, databases, and alerts.
*Using digital technology to automate layered, multimedia information for investigative projects to keep them relevant long after publication.
Some recent uses of these techniques by media outlets include hyperlocal journalism, tracking freedom of expression violations, analyzing government spending, and efficiently crowdsourcing.
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