According to the INMA, data democratisation by media companies is part of a broader trend toward evidence-based decision-making.

This is driven by new economic pressures on efficiency, management ideas aimed at boosting effectiveness and advances in technologies.  

The INMA meet-survey reveals that 87% saw dismissive culture as the single biggest barrier in data democratisation. 

The Benefits and Risks of Media Data Democratisation explores:
  • the importance of data democratisation
  • benefits of data and metrics
  • risk mitigation of data and metrics abuse
  • metrics for measuring journalism
  • development of data products
  • embracing experiments, and
  • driving change.
The INMA says that "The Benefits and Risks of Media Data Democratisation fuses together work done in 2021 on a Meta Journalism Project Latin America Audience Analytics Accelerator, findings from Year 1 of the INMA Smart Data Initiative and academic research."

According to the report, the process of data democratisation — notably for media companies — consists of:
  • understanding the purpose of data
  • choosing relevant metrics
  • developing data products
  • embracing the scientific method of decision-making, and
  • motivating decision-makers.
The INMA researcher-in-residence Greg Piechota distilled the findings of the Audience Analytics Accelerator Latin America 2021 in collaboration with the International Center For Journalists (ICFJ).

The project offered an eight-month training programme and USD$250 000 in grants to eligible news organisations from across the region to transform their online businesses through data insights and analysis. The report sheds light on practical solutions publishers can use to drive data usage through democratisation.

The report's case studies are:
  • Mediahuis
  • SBT News
  • Público
  • UOL
  • Editora Globo
  • Caracol TV
  • Diário do Nordeste
  • Los Andes
  • Grupo Reforma
  • Página 12
  • El Tiempo
  • El Universal
  • Die Presse, and
  • Grupo AM.
The Benefits and Risks of Media Data Democratisation is available for free to INMA members and registered users at INMA.org. Individuals are encouraged by INMA to register and download the report here.

For more information, visit www.inma.org.za You can also follow the INMA Facebook and Twitter.