Graphics

Graphics for News Presentation

Graphics should be easy to understand. The best graphics do not call attention to themselves, but rather become an integral part of the story they support. Those looking at a graphic should not worry about how it was put together, but focus on [Page 753]the information it provides. While some interpret graphics in print media to include photographs, most media organizations make a clear distinction between the two, often having separate departments for each. Collaboration between the two is common and stories often contain both graphics and photos.

Graphics may accompany a story, or may stand alone. Reporters and/or editors usually play a key role in developing graphics, since they provide the needed information. They also decide when a story needs a graphic. Information for the graphic is rarely repeated in a story to save space. Since graphics are supposed to replace text, most present information in a visually creative way, rather than relying on extensive use of text. Most media companies hire specialists not involved in the layout or editing of a story to create graphics on a regular basis.

While illustrations can be humorous, they still need to fulfill a specific informational goal. Knowing the purpose of any graphic, then, is central, as is the data on which it is based. In recent years, data have become more widely available, through websites such as Data.gov, the federal site launched in 2009 with the aim of providing the public with more data generated by the U.S. Executive Branch. With that, the field of data journalism—using data to tell the story—has created a renewed and increased interest in the use of graphics as a way of explaining significant and complicated numbers and information in more understandable and manageable ways for the public, making the data itself an increased focus of the storytelling.

New technologies have provided a huge boost to the use of graphics in journalism, by making their creation easier, quicker, and less expensive. News outlets continue to use now-traditional tools such as Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop to create graphics. However, a number of new websites and online tools have made graphics easier to produce and more widely used recently.

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