Towards a Big Data Platform for News Angles

Abstract

Finding good angles on news events is a central journalistic and editorial skill. As news work becomes increasingly computer-assisted and big-data based, journalistic tools therefore need to become better able to support news angles too. This paper outlines a big-data platform that is able to suggest appropriate angles on news events to journalists. We first clarify and discuss the central characteristics of news angles. We then proceed to outline a big-data architecture that can propose news angles. Important areas for further work include: representing news angles formally; identifying interesting and unexpected angles on unfolding events; and designing a big-data architecture that works on a global scale.