This talk draws a distinction between data visualization for explanation and data visualization for persuasion. The latter, I'll argue, is what practitioners need to master to distinguish themselves and create an impact. This is especially important in climate and environmental visualizations, where there is almost always a call for action.
Analysts are great at identifying climate trends and phenomena. Designers are great at finding creative ways to make scientific information accessible. But oftentimes we stop there and do not think about the message. Even in the world of visual journalism, many stories are published with great presentation but little convincing power.
I hadn't given this much thought for more than a decade of working as a data journalist in various capacities until I started working at the Opinion section of The Washington Post. Now I ask myself and my editors constantly: how do you make an argument with data visualization? What does a good dataviz column look like?
I'll share several techniques I learned from my job making arguments with data and visuals at The Post's Opinion desk and how they apply to climate stories specifically. I hope the audience will walk away from the talk with a new perspective on data visualization and some readily applicable methods for mastering persuasion with it.