Carrying the flame : using data to help tell the Olympic torch relay's story across time

Abstract

Every two years the Olympic torch relay marks the start of the coming Olympics Games. The International Olympic Committee calls the relay a symbol of peace between nations. The start of the relay marks the beginning of Olympic times and brings surface-level stories about the torch relay that barely scratch its surface, however. Such stories revolve around the beginning of the relay, where the torch visits, protests surrounding the relay, and the final torchbearer bringing the Olympic flame to the cauldron to signify the start of the Games. Yet, it's no longer acceptable to rehash the same stories again and again in journalism because it doesn't inspire readers to support the news. How and why information is presented online in journalism is more important than ever because of the pressing need to better connect with readers and motivate them to support journalism. A wealth of data exists online, thanks to the internet and ever expanding computing power, but journalists are just scratching the surface of what's possible in storytelling with data and the internet. My creative project, "Carrying the flame," seeks to set an example for how journalists can better tell data-driven stories online, both in appearance and in the technical aspects of designing stories for the web. The project also acts as an example for covering a topic in a new, unique way by providing sharp data visualizations and additional resources that might help others learn more about the relay. This paper contains a process analysis only, which serves as a walk through on how I went about creating this project.