2005
SLA Conference
Jaimi
Dowdell, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
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.