Abstract:

In the rapidly evolving landscape of journalism in the 21st century, data journalism has emerged as a transformative force, reshaping the way news is gathered and written. In light of the above, this study examines data journalism and its changing role in news gathering and writing in the 21st century. The researcher embarked on this study basically to examine the roles of data journalism in news gathering and writing, examine the extent to which data-driven storytelling has influenced the credibility, engagement, and audience perception of news stories and explore the challenges and ethical considerations faced by journalists in integrating data-driven content into their reporting. This study is anchored on the uses and gratification theory. The researcher adopted the secondary method of data collection. Findings reveal that data journalism plays crucial roles in news gathering and writing, revolutionising how stories are researched, reported, and presented. The study also found that data-driven storytelling has significantly influenced news stories' credibility, engagement, and audience perception, reshaping how information is presented and received. This study concludes that data journalism has emerged as a transformative force in news gathering and writing in the 21st century. With advancements in technology and the increasing availability of data, journalists have begun harnessing their power to uncover meaningful stories and provide accurate and insightful reporting. Based on this study's findings, this study recommends that journalists should prioritise ongoing training and skill development in data analysis, visualisation tools, and storytelling techniques. This will empower them to work with data effectively, create engaging visualisations, and craft compelling narratives that resonate with modern audiences.