Mapping the Seen and Unseen: Open-Source Investigations, Hurricane Devastation and Political Rhetoric

Hey there Benchies!

Welcome to another week of everything you wanted & more brought right to your inbox (you’re welcome). And this week we’ve got an extra special visual surprise for you – we’re introducing a NEW section! That’s right. But you’ll have to scroll to the end to see 😎

Here is our featured content this week:

The war in Gaza one year later: how open source investigations have helped reveal the costs of war

This week marks the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel by Hamas fighters, who killed 1,200 soldiers and civilians and took more than 200 hostages. The Israeli military response that followed has resulted in the deaths of at least 40,000 in Gaza, most of them civilians, and leveled large swaths of homes, schools, businesses and hospitals. With access for journalists to facts on the ground both difficult and dangerous, news organizations have relied on the tools of open source investigation (OSI) — everything from satellite imagery to bodycam footage to social media video posts — to investigate the claims and counterclaims on both sides. In our latest piece, Dan Zedek, Professor of the Practice at Northeastern's School of Journalism, wrote about how OSI efforts have often pierced the fog of war, but also revealed some of the limitations of OSI when presented with conflicting evidence. Read the story here. 

Turning your small-multiple charts into maps using R

Here’s something nifty for all you dataviz buffs: Ryan Hafen is showing us how to use Geofacet to combine multiple small charts into a map! Sound complicated? Thanks to him, it’s not. Ok maybe it is a little, but so worth it! Hafan explains how the geofacet R package provides a way to flexibly visualize data for different geographical regions, using an idea similar to that of the statebin, for those already up to snuff on the functionality of that platform, but provides tons of additional benefits, see for yourself! 😎

Same words, different meanings: we analyzed the text of the Walz-Vance debate. Here's what we found.

In case you’ve been living under a rock, there was another election debate between VP-hopefuls Tim Walz and JD Vance! And we’ve got some things to say about what they had to say. And on that note – we all know there can be a BIG difference between what someone says and the meaning it conveys, and in case you wanted a reminder of how true that can be, this particular rhetorical battle was a good place to start. The subtext can be a lot to sift through, but not to worry, our own April Qian has you covered. The Storybench team combed through the transcript, so you don’t have to, and boy do we have some interesting tidbits and takeaways to share – including, but not limited, to the fact that while Walz and Vance often used the EXACT same words or phrasing, the meanings couldn’t have even more different. We all know that context is key, but you may need to buckle up for this one. 

Cool stuff corner: What we’re reading this week

Hurricane Helene: Mapping More Than 600 Miles of Devastation

The storytellers among us in particular know just how difficult it can be to do justice — in words, visuals or both — to the true magnitude of a natural disaster’s impact. Hurricane Helene, a powerful Category 4 storm when it made landfall, traced a 600+ mile path of devastation from Florida’s Gulf Coast to Tennessee, flattening infrastructure and communities at a scale that’s truly tough to wrap your brain around. But this New York Times piece certainly provides a solid start. Coupling interactive maps, data, photos and first hand accounts, the story provides a unique, up close, visceral portrayal of the scale of the devastation so far. Take a look! 

How To Win The Election

Ok let’s be honest, (safe space) does anyone REALLY understand the electoral college!? Well, if you’re part of this group (whether you’ll admit it or not), this one’s for you. Another NYT favorite this week, this wicked cool (yes, we’re from Boston, get over it) interactive piece helps you understand both how the system works, and what possible outcomes exist in the battleground states. Click to learn how Harris or Trump could reach those crucial 270 electoral votes and the White House! 

From the Vault

How one photojournalist is documenting sexual assault in the U.S. military

Here’s a behind the scenes throwback you won’t want to miss: Colette Pollauf sat down with Mary Calvert, whose career epitomizes the power of photojournalism. From documenting injustices in uranium contamination in the Navajo Nation, to obstetric fistula — a debilitating medical condition which happens when women are injured during childbirth without timely access to medical care — in sub-Saharan Africa, to the article discussed here, where she documents the stories of sexual assault survivors in the military, Calvert specializes in putting spotlight on the issues many would rather keep in the dark. Catch the full conversation!

How The New York Times uncovered and visualized the dangers faced by child influencers

Here’s another must-read when it comes to unsettling but crucial conversations. With the rise of platforms like TikTok and Instagram, child influencers are now part of the media landscape, but at what cost? That’s the question this New York Times piece hopes to answer. Turns out, despite what it seems on TikTok, child influencing doesn’t just come with fame and fortune. A New York Times multimedia investigative story, “A Marketplace of Girl Influencers Managed by Moms and Stalked by Men,” reveals an unsettling trend: As these young girls’ accounts gain followers, they also draw a higher proportion of men, many of whom flatter, bully or blackmail the moms and daughters for racier content. Some accounts even offer these male fans exclusive chat sessions and extra paid content via subscriptions. To unpack this horrifying reality, Storybench sat down with the writers to talk about the story’s conception, the challenges they faced and how they visualized their very revealing data. Take a look. 

PHOTO OF THE WEEK 📷

For those of you looking for a little scenic adventure, check out View Boston! It’s just a T-ride (or walk, if it’s nice out) away, and the perfect spot for all my sunset lovers, or those looking to impress a sunset-loving date 😉 Send us your photo at [email protected] to be featured!~

That's all we've got for this week! Thanks for reading, and let us know if there's anything you'd like to see in these newsletters or in our coverage at [email protected].

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