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When

become stories

statistics

Gurman Bhatia

Data and Graphics Journalist

Thomson Reuters (@reutersgraphics)

@gurmanbhatia

DesignUp 2019

Bangalore

stories

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what I do

journalism + code + design

Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

But what does that mean?

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

I tell stories with code.

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

And break the myth that journalists are bad at math.

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

Sometimes that means I show every person who contested in the Indian election.

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Quite literally.

Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

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Or set up a camera to visualise pollution in Delhi

Photo courtesy: Adnan Abidi

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@gurmanbhatia

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A window to Delhi’s pollution

Reuters Graphics

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@gurmanbhatia

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@gurmanbhatia

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Or analyse 24,000 Bollywood songs to state how the female solo has declined.

Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

Basically, I also break the myth that numbers are boring.

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

If the statistics are boring, then you’ve got the wrong numbers.

“

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

Finding the right numbers requires as much specialised skill - statistical skill - and hard work as creating a beautiful design or covering a complex news story.

“

— Edward Tufte

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

If you are wondering why I am talking about statistics and data at a design conference…

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

It is because no amount of design can save a bad story.

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90% of my work is

and drawing inferences.

Only 10% is the

Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

analysing

communication.

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What we

​

matters.

Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

choose to count

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Cause it determines the

Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

stories we can tell.

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

Finding the right numbers requires as much specialised skill - statistical skill - and hard work as creating a beautiful design or covering a complex news story.

“

— Edward Tufte

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

So what are those

right numbers?

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

​

The Indian Census

Dataset No.1:

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

I am going to talk about a slightly touchy topic.

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

I am going to talk about a slightly touchy topic.

�Age.

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

Age

Age wise breakdown (5-year breaks)

Census of India, 2011

Number of people

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

Age wise breakdown (1-year breaks)

Census of India, 2011

Number of people

Age

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

Age wise breakdown for males

Census of India, 1901

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

Age wise breakdown for Madras

Census of India, 1931

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

Understand how the data was collected.

#1

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

If you torture the data long enough, it will tell you anything.

“

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

Cultural context creates the counts

#2

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

​

Crime Records

Dataset no. 2:

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

​

​

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

​

​

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

Rukmini S for Huffington Post India

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

Rukmini S for Huffington Post India

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We lose something as soon as

becomes a

Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

information

data point.

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

Find out what your data includes, and what it leaves out.

#3

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

​

Elections!

Dataset No. 3:

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

Candidates have to submit affidavits where they have to declare a lot of things.

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@gurmanbhatia

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@gurmanbhatia

Candidates with outstanding criminal cases

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@gurmanbhatia

Candidates by declared assets

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@gurmanbhatia

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@gurmanbhatia

​

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Technology, machines, histograms and scatter plots are important.

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

But people are

most important.

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People don’t remember

people remember

people

Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

numbers,

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

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@gurmanbhatia

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@gurmanbhatia

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

Before you communicate effectively, communicate ethically.

#4

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

​

Air quality

Dataset No. 4:

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

Niece: I heard that the pollution in Delhi has improved.

Me: Improved in what sense? Improved over the years, or improved when compared to last week?

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

Niece: I heard that the pollution in Delhi has improved.

Me: Improved in what sense? Improved over the years, or improved when compared to last week?

…

Niece: So why does this thing happen during this season?

Is it because of the festival? Because people burn crackers

on Diwali?

Me: It’s one of the many reasons.

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

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@gurmanbhatia

Niece: India looks quite bad. It is really red. Which is the least polluted place?

Me: Maybe Scandinavia.

Niece: What about Australia? What about the USA?

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

With all the comparisons, this child is illustrating the importance of one thing

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

With all the comparisons, this child is illustrating the importance of one thing

Context

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

Context matters.

#5

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

Context based on your audience matters

#5

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@gurmanbhatia

Think about Joe in New York.

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@gurmanbhatia

The race to save the river Ganges

Reuters Graphics

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

Or about Diljeet

in Amritsar

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@gurmanbhatia

Every country’s fastest man in one race

Hindustan Times

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

Finding the right numbers requires as much specialised skill - statistical skill - and hard work as creating a beautiful design or covering a complex news story.

“

— Edward Tufte

Back to the quote

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

I think that statistical skill is also actually a

journalistic skill.

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

Cause journalists need to be good researchers.

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

Who?

What?

When?

Where?

How?

Why?

The basic questions in

journalism

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

Who?

What?

When?

Where?

How?

Why?

Right

numbers

Are also the questions that

lead us to the right numbers

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

Right numbers

  1. You understand how they were collected
  2. You understand the cultural context
  3. Include more than they exclude
  4. Are ethically fair and honest
  5. Have contextual comparisons for the audience

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Question the data.

Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

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Question the data.

Or rather, interview it.

Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

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Think like a journalist.

Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

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@gurmanbhatia

It will hone your

stories

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

And good stories

hone your design.

It will hone your

stories

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Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

more resources

​

http://bit.ly/dataviz-resources

​

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Thank you.

Gurman Bhatia

@gurmanbhatia

Reach out:

@gurmanbhatia on Twitter

gurmanbh@gmail.com