Social network analysis in journalism : visualizing power relationships

Abstract

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Social network analysis allows journalists to take an aerial picture of the social networks, rather than taking a snapshot of a small group or certain individuals. It enables journalists to discover the key players, hidden ties, clusters, structures and patterns of the social networks, especially when they analyze complicated power relations in investigative journalism. However, social network analysis has not taken off since it was first brought to the journalism industry two decades ago. This article mainly digs into the potential of social network analysis as a powerful reporting tool, as well as its shortcomings that prevents journalists from applying it on a larger scale.