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A scientific study conducted by Professor Amal Mohammed Abu Madini, a lecturer in the Department of Media and Communication at King Khalid University, has explored the future dimensions of data journalism in Saudi Arabia within the framework of Vision 2030 and in light of digital transformation.
In detail, Abu Madini indicated that this was achieved by adopting an integrated methodology for future studies, based on the University of Houston's framework for building scenarios.
Abu Madini stated that the study included a series of consistent stages, beginning with assessing the current situation and diagnosing the reality of data journalism using a semi-structured interview tool. This was followed by identifying and analyzing the factors driving the use of data journalism, using the STEEP model, which was developed into STEEP+ to include the professional, academic, and personal factors of the audience.
The researcher pointed out that 21 respondents, including journalistic experts and academics in data journalism, as well as stakeholders from heads of journalism and media departments in Saudi universities and editors-in-chief of Saudi newspapers, participated in the first and second stages of the study.
Abu Madini continued that in the third stage of the study, the critical factors were identified from among all the driving factors identified in the study, relying on the impact and uncertainty matrix, in which 242 different stakeholders identified in the study sample participated.
In the results of the statistical analysis of the study sample, the researcher was able to conclude that technological, political, and professional factors are the most influential factors on the future of data journalism. The future scenarios for data journalism in Saudi Arabia were framed based on these factors using the GBN 2X2 tool.
The study focused on describing three possible scenarios through expert committees and future wheels, represented in the growth scenario, the collapse scenario, and the continuation scenario.
The study favored the growth scenario for data journalism, indicating that it stems from five models for describing data journalism in the future as a fundamental tool in newsrooms and an integrated industry consisting of specialized platforms, pioneers in the field of interactive storytelling, and individual practices that become more common. It also serves as a bridge for communication between public institutions and their target audience by transforming these institutions' data into attractive and effective media content, providing ready-made solutions for publishers in the field of data journalism.
Abu Madini pointed out that the study presented a set of recommendations aimed at enhancing the data journalism environment and improving its professional practices and education, such as research recommendations for education and journalism and media departments, research recommendations for journalistic institutions and content creators, research recommendations for both journalistic institutions and scientific departments, recommendations for enhancing data-related legislation and regulations, and finally, recommendations for enhancing the effectiveness of the Ministry of Information.
It is worth noting that the researcher's scientific study is a thesis submitted to obtain a master's degree from King Abdulaziz University. The researcher recently won the Saudi Media Forum Award 2025 in the academic research track in media fields.
