Advantages and issues of social network analysis

 

2005 SLA Conference

Jaimi Dowdell, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

jdowdell@post-dispatch.com

 

 

The power of data analysis isn’t always demonstrated in the final published product. More often than not the results from hours of running queries never make it in the paper or on air. But, without the process of sifting through numerous fields and records many important and solid stories would be missed.

We’ve come to learn that by using spreadsheets and database managers we can narrow down the field of information to pinpoint certain areas of interest to investigate and explore with additional reporting. Social network analysis software is just another tool that can assist with this filtering process. It allows reporters to look at relationships, or connections between individuals, organizations, etc., in new ways.

 

So what is social network analysis?

 

Social network analysis is a method of research using data to analyze relationships between individuals, organizations, etc. Driving social network analysis is the idea that social networks are fundamentally a part of any group or community. The people who know each other, and, in turn, know others present a web of power and knowledge.

Theoretically, these connections and relationships speak volumes about our society and the individual players, or actors, themselves. Researchers, mainly in the social sciences, have studied these types of connections for decades attempting to give meaning to the social networks around us. Quite often they collect survey data and build databases for their analysis. Journalists have recently begun using social network analysis software and techniques to produce and investigate stories. While some of the stories may include fancy graphics of connections, other stories simply used social network analysis methods as a tipsheet, or guide, to further investigate a story. Social network analysis can help journalists sift through all of the noise of the extraneous information and attempt to focus on the individuals or organizations that are potentially pivotal to the story.

 

Here are some stories that implemented the concept of visualization or social network analysis software itself. These stories are available from the IRE Resource Center and can be ordered by calling 573-882-3364 or e-mailing rescntr@ire.org.

 

 

 

 

The U.S. government believes that the Columbia, Missouri based Islamic African Relief Agency helped finance bin Laden and other terrorists. Federal agents seized the charity's office in October 2004. The Kansas City Star diagrammed the summary the U.S. Treasury created to support its allegations against the IARA. Some points include: at least eight connections between IARA and Osama bin Laden, his organizations or the Taliban; two connections to Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist organization whose suicide bombings ravaged life in Israel; connections to three other groups that long have been designated as terrorist organizations by federal authorities. The piece also contains a map of IARA funding worldwide in an attempt to track the money.

 

 

 

What can you do with social network analysis?

 

You don’t have to work for a large news organization or be a complete CAR nerd to make social network analysis work for you. The good news is there’s software available that is reasonably priced and with some effort fairly simple to navigate. The International Network for Social Network Analysis (http://www.insna.org/) has a link to all available software. My experience has been with UCINET from Analytic Technologies. You can get a free trial download of this software and pricing information at: http://www.analytictech.com/ucinet.htm.

There is also a lot of literature available on the uses and practices of social network analysis. While most of the published work is academic in nature, it can really help shed light on using this stuff. To really understand the methods and theories behind social network analysis most people recommend Social Network Analysis: A Handbook, by John Scott; and Social Network Analysis: Methods and Applications, by Stanley Wasserman and Katherine Faust. Scott’s book is a bit simpler and a great place to start, but once you get going you’ll find the technical explanations from Wasserman and Faust to be a great help. Also, be sure to check out Introduction to Social Network Methods, a free, online handbook by Robert A. Hanneman (http://faculty.ucr.edu/~hanneman/SOC157/TEXT/TextIndex.html). IRE’s social network analysis page is also a great source of the latest information on social network analysis and its uses in investigative journalism.

The real question you might have about social network analysis probably doesn’t involve software. What you’re probably wondering right now is how you can make all of these nodes and lines work for you and your newsroom. What if you don’t live in a big city and the most powerful board members in your community belong to the local school district? One of the wonderful things about social network analysis is that it can be tailored to suit many projects. Here are some ideas for just about any beat in all types of communities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another thing to remember about social network analysis is that many of the sources of information you might use to build network models are already publicly available. Here are some document sources that might help you build a network:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When analyzing networks, remember that your results will only be as good as the data and information you collect. While there is a lot of public information available that will help you build network models, in most cases you’ll be the one who has to find it and compile it. Be sure to exhaust your sources and double check your information.


News Division Program, SLA 2005 Annual Conference
SLA News Division Home

To request updates or additions contact Jaimi Dowdell .
Last updated 6/14/2005