Engage readers with interactive charts, graphics

By Rosland Gammon on Sep 30, 2009 in Basics, Best Practices

BBC News reporter Steve Schifferes’ story about bailout spending offers interactive graphics and words to explain how the United States and the United Kingdom have spent the most.

‘New calculations by the BBC, based on IMF data given to G20 finance ministers, shows these countries have spent a total of $10 trillion (£6tn).
The UK and US spent the most, with the UK spending far more, 94% of its GDP compared to 25% in the US.
That equates to £30,000 per person in the UK and $10,000 in the US.’

Seven interactive slides help tell the story before readers even get to the article.

Today’s Tip: Use interactive tools to illustrate your story.

Graphics help reach readers and viewers who won’t get to the end of your story. Yet for those who do, you’ll want to make sure your story isn’t just a rehash of the visual data.

For more information on ways to use graphics, read this 2001 article by Joanne Miller of the Charlotte Observer. She details how the paper created its graphics packages following 9/11.

About the Author

Rosland Gammon is a former business journalist turned college instructor. Her newsroom experience includes reporting for The Philadelphia Inquirer, and reporting and editing at Bloomberg News. Gammon currently teaches communications at Alverno College in Milwaukee. Follow her daily posts. | E-mail: Rosland Gammon