Getting the message across: lessons from visual journalism, Alan Smith | UPEN Conference 2026

Alan Smith, Head of Visual and Data Journalism at the Financial Times gives us a masterclass in visual journalism for his keynote at our 2026 Conference, In Evidence We Trust. He talks us through the importance of telling a story with data, the characteristics of effective narratives, and a visual vocabulary moving beyond bar and pie charts. Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction 02:07 - Interdisciplinary Skill Sets in the Newsroom 05:53 - Comparing Narrative Story Structures 08:03 - Text-Centric Journalism and the Infographics Era 10:13 - Beyond Memorability: Why Text Matters 11:32 - The Financial Times Chart Recipe 13:09 - Characteristics of Effective Narratives 15:55 - The Visual Vocabulary Framework 19:08 - COVID-19 Coverage and Micro-Stories 22:30 - Dashboards and Schneiderman's Mantra 25:08 - Using Visuals to Drive the Narrative A must watch for anyone seeking to use research to create a compelling argument for policy.