It has now been just over a year since I started running a fun little side project for a print Magazin. Next to my day job as an investigative journalist, I produce a monthly data journalism section called TheGraphic (it existed before but a designer colleague and I had the flash of inspiration to jazz it up).
During the day I am an investigative journalist. My stories are long-winded long-reads. They often involve days or weeks of research. So these shorter visual print projects offer a refreshing break from the long-term stuff. The feedback, so far, is mostly positive.
The one-page data journalism narrative: pros and cons
One thing I found a little hard to accept in the beginning was how so much analysis and visualization work deserves a mere 400-ish word piece.
But, I stress, this should not discourage you. These one-pagers pack a punch. On social media, where they are often do extremely well, the bang for the bug your outlet can get from them can often be as big as some long-reads. For me, these one-pagers visual investigations are just another medium in my toolbox as a journalist.

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