Tutorial-08

Author

Kate Saunders

Visual Communication

Learning Objectives

Today we will look at examples of visualisation and communication. We will practice:

  • identifying key messages

  • identifying the audience

  • assessing if the key messages are communicated well

Preparation

Take some time to read this article by the Washington Post.

Do not pay for this article, you can not access this article for free via the Monash library.

The article plots we will consider are also included directly below.

Motivation

This lecture we want to look at visual communication and discuss key messages.

Recall this plot from Lecture 1, which has been used by President Trump to show how the number of illegal immigrants over time and with different administrations.

The Washington Post used 12 plots to explore this same issue. Using these plots to provide more context to the rates of illegal immigration.

To understand these plots here is some situational context:

  • Immigration was a key issue in the 2024 presidential race.

  • Trump lost the 2020 presidential election to Biden in November, 2020.

  • Biden took the presidential office in January 2021.

  • Biden repealed Policy 42, a policy which turned back unaccompanied minors, but replaced it with a new policy on asylum eligibility.

  • Trump won the 2024 presidential election in November, 2024.

Exercise 1

Discuss in your groups, the immigration plot that was used at Trump Republican rally.

  1. Who is the audience for this plot?

The audience is republican voters who support Trump

  1. What is the key message of this plot?

The key message that the plot is conveying is the number of illegal immigrants increased during the Biden administration.

  1. What are the important secondary messages?

There many secondary messages. Some of these include:

  • The change in the number of illegal immigrants who are minors, single adults and family groups.

  • How different policies have influenced the rate of immigration.

  1. Are the key messages clear and easy to identify?

This plot is cognitively overwhelming. While the key message can be identified, it takes time to read and understand.

The secondary messages are confused.

There is much that could be done to improve the communication of the key messages.

  1. Think about the rheteoric situation - If this plot was shown as evidence at a democratic rally would this communication of the key messages be the received the same?

The three aspects of rheteoric situation to be considered are:

  • ethos: The audience at the rally are Trump supporters, so there is implicit trust and credibility when presented with this visualisation.

  • logos: The plot provides evidence that illegal immigration has increased under the Biden administrative. In many ways as the plot doesn’t adhere to the principles of graphical excellence it is misleading. However, as this is a political rally, the point the visualisation is less about creating something that adheres to the principles of graphical excellence and more about having something to point to.

  • pathos: The motivation behind the visualisation is to energise the voter base and encourage policy support.

If the audience was democratic supporters the ethos would not be the same democratic voters are unlikely to trust material provided by the Trump team. The audience also would be less accepting of the bad visualisation and so the logos would also change. And as the voter base would be different, the percieved motivation behind the visualisation would be different. This same communication would therefore not be effective at a democratic rally.

Exercise 2

Discuss in your group’s the immigration plots shown by the Washington Post.

  1. Who is the audience for these plots?

The audience is readers of the Washington Post, but not just any readers, likely those interested in politics.

Readers of the Washington Post also include more than just US Citizens.

  1. What is the key message for each of the below plots?

The key messages for each of the below plots are clear. Each of these plots tackle only one aspect of immigration.

In the previous plot, there was too much information.

Sometimes, you can not display all the information on one plot and you must choice the important messages to tell.

  • Key message 1: There has been an increase in illegal immigration under the Biden administration.

    • Secondary message: The number of illegal crossing reaching record levels in 2022.

  • Key message 2: Illegal immigration has increased for single adults, families and unaccompanied minors.

    • Secondary message: The number of single adults has had the largest increase compared with the other categories.

    • Secondary message: The number of single adults arriving has been increasing over the entire period analysed.

    • Secondary message: For families and unaccompanied minors, the number of illegal immigrants also saw a spike in numbers in 2019.

    • The changes in immigration trends over this period are related to a number of factors, including changes in immigration policy and a change of presidency, but the full picture is complex. For example, COVID also likely impacted the trends in these figures.

  • Key message 3: Migrants from Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras made up the majority of illegal immigrants during the first Trump administration, but that began to change in 2021. This change is likely unrelated to the change in presidency.

  • Key message 4: Biden has deported, expelled or returned more illegal immigrants than the Trump presidency.

    • The total illegal immigration figures do not necessarily reflect other aspects of how the system works.
  1. Does voter preference influence how the key messages are communicated and understood for these plots?

These plots are much clearer and present a much more balanced picture of the data and the full story behind the complex issue of illegal immigration in the USA.

However, it is well understand that news agencies have their own biases. Depending on your voter preference voters perceive different news providers with more or less bias. (This article is a little old but shows the general picture Business Insider).

The Washington Post is viewed as a news source that is more trusted by democratic voters than republican voters. This means institutional trust will be different and the perceived motives behind the visualisation will be considered differently by each of the different voter bases.

Plot 1

This plot shows the number of Illegal crossing at the US-Mexico border (2017 - 2023).

Plot 2

This plot shows the number of single adults, families and unaccompanied minors.

Plot 3

This plot shows the main countries of origin for illegal immigrants.

Plot 4

This plot shows the number of people deported, returned or expelled each year.

Lesson Summary

The drivers and reasons behind immigration in the US are complex. The Washington Post created a total of 12 plots in their article to help understand the causes in changes in immigration.

This example shows that sometimes your data will be too complex for one plot! To understand what is happening in the data, we will often need to use multiple plots, each with their own clear message. Combining a series of plots together with simpler clearer messages better creates the full picture of what is happening in the data.

This example also shows if you obscure or ignore important variables that are important for understanding patterns in the data, that this is another way to create misleading visualisations.

Note

In Assignment 2, you will combine your own set of plots to tell a data story and share key messages.