Data “Objectivity” in a Time of Coronavirus: Uncovering the Potential Impact of State Influence on the Production of Data-Driven News

Abstract

News reports on the Covid-19 pandemic have largely been data-driven, with coverage on infection numbers, deaths, recoveries, tests administered, economic impacts and vaccine trials; data for these stories tend to be disseminated from top-down, by governments and public health organizations, and often viewed as scientific and precise. This article examines critically the “objective” nature of data and discusses the social constructionist nature of data journalism, where data access and presentation may be shaped by power and social relations. This study focuses on Singapore, a global city in Asia that received praise in international media at the start of the pandemic when it was able to keep its infection numbers low while other cities went into lockdown; the turning point came when numerous infection clusters developed in the migrant worker dormitories on the island. Through in-depth interviews with newsworkers, this study maps out the potential extent of state influence on press coverage and journalistic sensibilities during the coronavirus pandemic through the stages of news production – from the news gathering and selection stages, to the newswriting and presentation stage – and offers an assessment of how data “objectivity” may be a powerful tool to shape public opinion in times of crisis.