NewsTalk is an ongoing collection of public user commentary on Australian news stories, consisting of:
The collection began in November 2022 and has, as of March 2024, accumulated over 2 million comments, half as site comments and half as Reddit comments. Eighteen (18) Australian news websites and mastheads are being monitored, including:
Importantly, NewsTalk does not store the content of news stories, only comments left on or linking to them.
NewsTalk data can be searched, viewed, and downloaded via the NewsTalk platform. Login is required, and researchers can apply for access by contacting the Digital Observatory via email.
Interested researchers can contact the Digital Observatory via email to obtain login credentials for NewsTalk. The following should be provided:
Login credentials are valid for the duration of the research project, and can be extended if necessary. Access can also be revoked upon any breach of NewsTalk databank ethics and governance.
Data in NewsTalk are subject to the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research.
The Digital Observatory has ethical clearance (granted by QUT's University Human Research Ethics Committee) to collect data for and maintain NewsTalk. Research projects with an Ethics exemption can request aggregate data from NewsTalk, but not full access to the NewsTalk platform.
Ethical clearance is required for full access to raw data via the NewsTalk platform. For most projects, low-risk ethical clearance is sufficient, but this depends on your institution's ethics committee.
QUT researchers can find out more here: https://www.qut.edu.au/research/why-qut/ethics-and-integrity (QUT login required). The Digital Observatory will require a copy of your ethical clearance (or exemption, if applicable) before providing access to NewsTalk.
Absolutely not! We work with researchers from many universities, as long as appropriate ethical clearance is in place (if applicable). Having a QUT collaborator does help, but it is not required. External researchers might be charged on a cost-recovery basis.
The NewsTalk platform provides a self-service tool to search, view, and download from the databank. Hence, what might take the most time is obtaining access to the platform and gathering necessary documents.
NewsTalk was built to be a prospective data collection, with the earliest comment published around the time when the collection started, November 2022.
The Digital Observatory operates to keep costs low for researchers by only charging on a cost-recovery basis. If you are a researcher within QUT, we also offer in-kind services for:
It depends. If you intend on publishing your findings or need access to raw data (e.g., comment text) then you will need ethics. There are also other situations in which you will require ethics, such as research questions that require data about sensitive topics. Refer to the Ethics section above for more information.
If you are unsure, we can discuss your research question with you and can refer you to the Office of Research Ethics and Integrity or an ethics advisor for further advice if necessary.
A data management plan is recommended if you work with potentially personally identifiable data from NewsTalk. It might be a requirement in some cases, including HDR and several funded research projects, including ARC (Australian Research Council) and NHMRC (National Health and Medical Research Council).
Absolutely! If you are not comfortable working with the NewsTalk platform, you can collaborate with the Digital Observatory. We can tailor our output and deliverables to your specific needs and skills.
