The PR Data Revolution: Data Journalism, AI and Storytelling with Alex Waddington

Is data the "killer of creativity" or its greatest fuel? In this episode of PR in the Real World, Alex Waddington of Whetstone Communications shares how PR professionals can excavate a "veritable goldmine" of stories by adopting the habits of a data journalist.Alex Waddington cut his teeth in journalism before shifting to strategic comms in higher education and the non-profit sector. Now, he’s leading a "white knight" charge to improve data literacy within the PR industry. We explore why the common badge of pride, "I do words, not numbers", is becoming a liability in a digital-first world. Alex explains the "Fire and Ice" concept: combining the fire of human creativity with the ice of hard analytical data to produce spectacular narrative results.The conversation dives into practical examples of data-led PR, from helping the Molly Rose Foundation lobby for online safety to analysing Netflix’s massive 18,000-row viewership spreadsheets. We also tackle the "elephant in the room": AI. Alex breaks down how AI models can help PRs crunch public datasets, write complex Excel formulas, and identify correlations, while emphasising why human context and "domain knowledge" remain the ultimate safeguards against AI hallucinations.From a PR and communications perspective, this episode covers:The Rise of Data Journalism: Learning from the New York Times and the FT to bring investigative rigour to PR campaigns.Data-Informed vs. Data-Driven: Why being "informed" by data is better than being blindly "driven" by it.The "Fire and Ice" Narrative: Using Sam Knowles' framework to blend art and science in storytelling.Public Data as a Story Source: How to use NHS job vacancies, EU safety reports, or ONS data to create top-line news hooks.AI as a "Data Friend": Using ChatGPT for data cleaning, scraping transcripts, and verifying gut instincts with hard facts.The Future of the PR Profession: Why PR professionals who use AI will replace those who don't, and how data literacy creates a unique point of difference.Alex discusses the environmental impact of AI and data centres, noting that the tech industry now consumes more carbon than aviation, a crucial consideration for values-led brands.This episode is relevant for professionals working in:PR Agency Owners & Account Managers: Looking to differentiate their service through data-led insights.Public Sector & HE Comms: Tasked with evaluating complex social programs or lobbying government.Non-Profit Campaigners: Seeking affordable ways to create high-impact "red sofa" news hooks without expensive field research.Journalism Students: Interested in the intersection of data, investigation, and public relations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.