News fatigue is one of the most pressing issues facing the news media industry today, and during the recent INMA Asia/Pacific News Media Summit, Ratna Sri Widyastuti explained how data journalism can transform overwhelming facts into engaging stories.

As the head of investigative and data journalism at Kompas and its digital counterpart Kompas.id, Widyastuti leads a 15-person team of journalists and data researchers who are reshaping how Indonesian audiences engage with news.

Since its founding in 2021, the team has published a new data-driven story every two weeks, responding to hot topics, and uncovering hidden narratives buried in public datasets.

“Our main goal is to transform complex data into complex stories that readers care about,” she said. “We respond to current hot topics quickly, sourcing the right data to explain issues already capturing public attention. And we also uncover hidden issues buried inside the existing dataset.”

Understanding what subscribers actually want

To meet readers’ needs, it’s critical to understand them. To do that, Widyastuti’s team analysed the top 25 most-read stories over the past year and identified the preferences of Kompas.ID’s paying subscribers. 

From that data, four dominant themes emerged:

• Lifestyle and economy (40%): Stories like Jakarta’s café costs, retirement planning, and the middle-class squeeze resonated deeply. These pieces were often framed as indexes or comparisons, tapping into aspirational and relatable concerns.

• Governance and accountability (32%): Investigations into corruption, school admission fraud, and misuse of village funds proved to be powerful subscription drivers. Widyastuti emphasised the importance of pairing hard data with human narratives to make these stories “sticky.”

• Generational and social change (16%): Gen Z’s job struggles, youth supporting elders, and the evolving role of educated women in Indonesia highlighted the power of generational identity as a storytelling lens.

• Mental health and digital habits (12%): Topics like “brain rot” from endless scrolling and youth violence risks showed that subscribers value journalism that connects personal wellbeing with broader societal trends.

The deep dive into the audience preferences found that subscribers didn’t want lighter news; they want relevance. Many of the top stories, Widyastuti said, connected big issues to readers’ daily lives, careers, and futures. Stories that show the personal impact of bigger issues like political corruption, economic shifts, and social changes fared well.

“It’s not just about light versus hard news. It’s about relevance plus constructive framing,” she explained. “Data journalism works because it turns uncertainty into comprehension and also doom into solutions and statistics into human stories. So it’s a kind of an opportunity to position Kompas.id as a calm explainer in an overwhelming media landscape.”

Combating news fatigue with data

The obvious challenge facing publishers is the declining public interest in news. In Indonesia, interest has dropped from 70% in 2015 to just 38% in 2024. Widyastuti pointed to information overload, negativity, and emotional distress as being amongst the culprits.

However, data journalism offers a remedy.

“It plays a crucial role by providing context, offering solutions, and using visuals,” she explained. “Additionally, lighter stories offer relief, balance, and emotional connection. And the impact on subscribers are significant.

Subscribers benefit from deeper comprehension and higher trust, and are apt to spend more time on the site. In fact, four to six investigative or data stories can generate up to 33% of daily traffic.

Turning data into stories

Widyastuti walked the audience through Kompas’ process of turning raw data into compelling journalism. The process begins with massive, often dry and messy datasets such as government records, transcripts, and public documents that, on their own, “can feel overwhelming and inaccessible.”

The Kompas team will process the data — sometimes with the help of AI tools that clean data, spot anomalies, and suggest narrative angles. But she stressed that AI doesn’t have the last word; journalists play a critical role in validating, contextualising, and humanising the findings.

“This is where professional judgement ensures the story is accurate, ethical, and relevant for our audience,” Widyastuti said.

She illustrated this with a study on homicide cases. Her team used AI to analyse over 1,100 court verdicts, extracting key variables like location, sentencing, and patterns. While AI summarised and structured the data, journalists framed the findings into a public safety story — transforming cold statistics into a meaningful narrative about violence in Indonesia.

Another example was a series on Eid holiday cinema trends. Despite the popularity of movie-going during Eid, there had been little coverage of the phenomenon. Widyastuti’s team gathered data on box office hits, popcorn prices, and cinema revenues, even conducting surveys. 

The result was six stories, including a video collaboration, that performed exceptionally well — even though it ran during a typically low-traffic holiday period. One article ranked third in daily pageviews, proving that even seasonal stories can drive engagement when supported by smart data and creative presentation.

Mapping hidden patterns

Widyastuti highlighted how data journalism can uncover patterns that might go unnoticed in traditional reporting. 

“Visual tools like heat maps, timelines, and geospatial charts reveal gaps, shifts, usage patterns, and social dynamics invisible in text,” she said. “When hidden patterns are made, feasible numbers stop being statistics and start becoming stories [with] public understanding.”

These visualisations have helped readers grasp complex issues like crime cycles, mental health trends, and generational inequality. When readers see their realities reflected in data, they connect more deeply with the story. 

The power of collaboration

Data journalism thrives on collaboration, Widyastuti said: “Collaboration across the newsroom is the real multiplier.” 

Her team works closely with editorial, visual, digital marketing, and social media departments to ensure that stories are not just published but promoted and seen. Internal partnerships with Kompas R&D provide access to nationwide surveys and social media sentiment analysis, while external collaborations with government agencies unlock official datasets.

This cross-functional approach transforms data journalism from a niche practice into a newsroom-wide engine for impact: “I think collaboration is the key that multiplies our impact.”

Journalism that builds trust

Widyastuti offered a reminder that data journalism is not just about presenting facts. It’s about building trust. 

“When journalism makes sense of complexity, it earns both trust and loyalty,” she said, and that leads to “informed citizens, empowered communities and loyal subscribers with sustainable growth.”

Her team’s work at Kompas.ID proves that data journalism, combined with human insight, can be informative, engaging, and help counter the effects of news fatigue.

“When we turn complex data into clear human stories, readers don’t just consume,” Widyastuti said. “They connect.”

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