Web Views: Gasoline Graphics

By Anita Malik
June 24, 2008 06:58 PM

I’ve spent the last few days tuning in to a local radio station at 9 a.m., 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., hoping to hear my name. I listen not to win concert tickets, but instead, my hopes are pinned on winning free gas.

Like most people, I am frazzled about the cost of gas. I’m desperate for cheaper black gold. And as a reader, I want more information. How did we get here, what does it mean, where can I find lower prices, will it get better?

So I’ve hunted.  I’ve searched and I’ve Web surfed.

There are plenty of text-based stories, yet coverage is lacking in terms of online presentation.

Too many sites have failed to heed my advice in an earlier column about the Hollywood writer’s strike: “When we force readers to scroll too much, particularly for anything other than a traditional text story, scroll-bar syndrome sets in. Readers then do the unthinkable, they click away from the page much too quickly.”

The gas story is one of THE stories of the moment for business sections and personal finance reporters, but still, interactive resources, if any, are tucked away, far down on the page.

The Houston Chronicle offers a well-designed, four-slide graphic from the Associated Press on what goes into the price of a gallon of gasoline. But, it is the last item on the page before footer advertising and the data is outdated. Figures are from 2006 and 2007. 

On the other end of the spectrum is the Web site of The Sacramento Bee, which puts forward better placement but offers less creativity.  The Bee gives the subject top billing, with “Gas Prices” as the first menu item on the business page’s top navigation. Click and the page is populated with area gas prices imported from GasBuddy.com. 

It is helpful information, in fact many newspaper Web sites offer links to such resources, but as a reader, I was hoping for a bit more. Isn’t there more to this story overall and in the context of the local market? What about comparisons in the region or by population or income?

The New York Times features a three-tab chart entitled “The Varying Impact of Gas Prices,” which shows the effect of rising gas prices in terms of income. And in California, according to this multimedia showing, prices are some of the highest in the country but residents spend a smaller fraction of their income for gasoline.  

It’s a simple picture, but one that puts rising prices in perspective and confirms our role as business journalists. Because even when it comes to online graphs and illustrations, we are not just data collectors, we are data analyzers. We are obligated to sort through the numbers, to make them relevant and meaningful.

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Copyright © 2008 Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism