Monday, October 3, 2011

Reporting Results

The reports use charts and graphs extremely well; in my mind, they form a sort of emphasis on the written material they've just presented. Gallup presents the material in an arbitrary manner, stating the facts in a paragraph, but the added visualization of the data below helps bring the entire thing home. It's one thing to imagine the data implications on your own, but the chart grounds these realizations. I think it also served as a strong conclusion to the entire piece, for the same reasons. The information is stated, almost like a prelude, and then thrust towards you in a visual manner. It's effective for getting one's point across.

The text in these reports is very arbitrary. Rather than using prose or elaborating on the implications of their facts, the text simply states the numbers (i.e. 38% of Americans approve of Barack Obama, and 48% do not) and then just stops there. It's sudden, but it leaves the ultimate interpretation of the data to you. The numbers serve as an arbitrary, no-argument method of presenting cold facts for personal interpretation. While the articles typically explore some elaboration on the numbers' meaning, the focus is undoubtedly on the numbers themselves. With such a strong focus on just the numbers, we as the readers are left with a very effective foundation for opinion of the issue.

Gallup places their result and reporting methods at the bottom of the visual graph, and sometimes the body text. I think that they do this so that they can immediately quell any question of their information's legitimacy. It's certainly an issue that they seem to keep in mind constantly. By placing the sources at the bottom of the graphic, it leads one to believe that Gallup puts high claim on their credibility. It certainly makes the articles seem more effective. These endings vary in format; sometimes, they're small statements at the bottom of a graph, or they're a large summary at the bottom of the article. Either method is effective.

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