Reporting on
Algorithms

Me

• Background in web development
• Joined the ABC in 2013
• Been doing digital storytelling for more than a decade

Interactive storytelling at ABC

• Established at the end of 2013
• Multi-disciplinary team
• Wide remit
• Often data and/or politics focused.

Recent & current projects

• Census
• Murray darling
• Artificial Intelligence
• Encrypted messaging
• Schools
• My focus: Algorithms

Why algorithms?

We've been hearing a lot about some algorithms for quite a long time: Facebook, Google, Twitter.

But until recently, very little about how they effect people's lives beyond re-ordering our social media timelines or what kinds of ads we're shown.

Why algorithms?

"Your life is dominated by algorithms and you know next-to-nothing about how they work or what consequences they have."

• Algorithm is hard to define.
• Algorithmic decisions are often less accountable, less transparent and more difficult to appeal.
• Their use is often hidden (in plain sight).
• Assumed 'correctness'.

I think (and hope) this plays to my strengths.

Where do the algos play?

• Credit scoring
• Border security
• News consumption
• Nightclub entry
• Music consumption
• Crime prediction
• Welfare eligibility
• Immigration
• Test scoring
• Education admissions
• Insurance costs
• Retail prices

• Investment decisions
• Infrastructure
• Election systems
• Government services
• Hiring decisions
• Availability of services
• ...

Focus:

Transparency,
Accountability,

and reader directed.

Reporting challenges

• Investigation is time consuming
• Challenging technically
• Most algorithms are proprietary
• FOI is harder (even harder than usual)
• Algorithms are difficult to explain