1. Telling Stories at
Internet Scale
Larry Birnbaum
Northwestern University
Knight Lab
Computer Science and Medill / Journalism

2. The Punch Line

4. February 9, 2012, Hockey Recap:
Rio Grande Valley rolls over Laredo, 6-3
The Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees were firing on all cylinders against the Laredo Bucks, and when the final
buzzer sounded Killer Bees emerged with a 6-3 win.
Zac Pearson was all over the ice for Rio Grande Valley, as he tallied two goals and one assist in the win.
Pearson scored the first of his two goals at 5:23 into the first period to make the score 1-0 Rio Grande Valley.
Brandon Campos picked up the assist. Pearson's next tally made the score 2-0 Rio Grande Valley with 12:44
left in the first period. David Marshall assisted on the tally.
Special teams units factored heavily in the game's outcome, as there were 14 penalties called on the two
teams. The busiest period in the sin bins was the first period, which saw 18 minutes of penalty time combined
between the two teams.
The Killer Bees' goal total was higher than their season average. Rio Grande Valley averages two goals per
game. The Killer Bees could not stay out of the penalty box, as the team accrued 17 minutes in penalties
during the game. The leading offender was Jason Beeman, who totaled five minutes in penalty time with one
major. With 48 shots on target during the contest, Rio Grande Valley exceeded the 22 shots it averages per
game this year.
Rio Grande Valley additionally got points from Aaron Lee, who had one goal and one assist, Marshall, who
registered one goal and two assists, and Dan Gendur, who racked up one goal and one assist. Dan Nicholls
also scored for Rio Grande Valley. Others to record assists for Rio Grande Valley were AJ Mikkelsen, who had
two and Adam Bartholomay and Marc-Andre Carre, who each chipped in one.
Laredo was often in penalty trouble, as it ended with six minors and one major for 17 minutes in penalty time.
The leading offender was Justin Styffe, who totaled nine minutes in penalty time with two minors and one
The Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees were
firing on all cylinders against the Laredo
Bucks, and when the final buzzer sounded
Killer Bees emerged with a 6-3 win.

5. Business Stories

6. Business Stories

7. Another Earnings Preview

8. Thursday, October 6, 2011 12:00 PM: HEALTHCARE MIDDAY COMMENTARY:
The Healthcare (XLV) sector underperformed the market in early trading on Thursday. Healthcare
stocks trailed the market by 0.4%. So far, the Dow rose 0.2%, the NASDAQ saw growth of 0.8%, and
the S&P500 was up 0.4%.
Here are a few Healthcare stocks that bucked the sector's downward trend.
MRK (Merck & Co Inc.) erased early losses and rose 0.6% to $31.26. The company recently
announced its chairman is stepping down. MRK stock traded in the range of $31.21 - $31.56. MRK's
volume was 86.1% lower than usual with 2.5 million shares trading hands. Today's gains still leave
the stock about 11.1% lower than its price three months ago.
LUX (Luxottica Group) struggled in early trading but showed resilience later in the day. Shares rose
3.8% to $26.92. LUX traded in the range of $26.48 - $26.99. Luxottica Group’s early share volume
was 34,155. Today's gains still leave the stock 21.8% below its 52-week high of $34.43. The stock
remains about 16.3% lower than its price three months ago.
Shares of UHS (Universal Health Services Inc.) are trading at $32.89, up 81 cents (2.5%) from the
previous close of $32.08. UHS traded in the range of $32.06 - $33.01…
The Healthcare (XLV) sector underperformed the market
in early trading on Thursday. Healthcare stocks trailed
the market by 0.4%. So far, the Dow rose 0.2%, the
NASDAQ saw growth of 0.8%, and the S&P500 was up
0.4%.
MRK (Merck & Co Inc.) erased early losses and rose 0.6% to
$31.26. The company recently announced its chairman is stepping
down. MRK stock traded in the range of $31.21 - $31.56. MRK's
volume was 86.1% lower than usual with 2.5 million shares trading
hands. Today's gains still leave the stock about 11.1% lower than its
price three months ago.
Sector Reporting

9. Q1 - 2010 Q2 - 2010 Q3 - 2010 Q4 - 2010 Q1 - 2011 Q2 - 2011 Q3 - 2011 Q4 - 2011 Q1 - 2012 Q2 - 2012 Q3 - 2012
Gross
Profit $9,600,000 $12,402,000 $15,774,720 $19,750,349 $24,334,442 $29,497,712 $35,168,885 $41,229,808 $47,513,986 $53,809,589 $59,867,622
Sales $12,000,000 $15,600,000 $19,968,000 $25,159,680 $31,198,003 $38,061,564 $45,673,877 $53,895,174 $62,518,402 $71,270,979 $79,823,496
$-
$10,000,000
$20,000,000
$30,000,000
$40,000,000
$50,000,000
$60,000,000
Q1 - 2010 Q2 - 2010 Q3 - 2010 Q4 - 2010 Q1 - 2011 Q2 - 2011 Q3 - 2011 Q4 - 2011
Gross Profit
Sales
Over the past eight quarters, AmgenCorp has seen a
steady increase in both sales and gross profit. During
this period, however, two trends have become
apparent.
While sales have increased, there has been a steady
decrease in margins which should be cause for concern.
In addition, while we have seen quarter-to-quarter
increases in both sales and gross profit, each of these
metrics is decelerating, indicating that the business is
experiencing a slow down.
Why Stories?

10. • Stories pick out, connect, and summarize
the critical aspects of a situation
• Stories explain: They convey trends,
causes, and even recommendations
• Stories provide context
• Stories make data meaningful
Why Stories

11. First Prototype at
Northwestern

12. First Prototype: Derived
Features

13. First Prototype: The Outline

14. First Prototype: The Story

15. How Quill Works
Stats Tests Calls
The Data The Facts The StructureThe Angles
T/F
Language

16. Narrative Analytics
• Narrative goals determine data analysis—and
even the data you need
• Stories embody high-level patterns or themes—
such as comeback, fade, low-hanging fruit, etc.—
that:
• Render data coherent
• Usefully characterize situations in broad terms
• Are efficiently communicated and effectively
grasped

19. Civic Data

20. Civic Data: Education Story

21. NEWT GINGRICH GAINS ATTENTION WITH HOT-BUTTON TOPICS TAXES, CHARACTER
ISSUES
Newt Gingrich received the largest increase in Tweets about him today. Twitter activity associated
with the candidate has shot up since yesterday, with most users tweeting about taxes and
character issues. Newt Gingrich has been consistently popular on Twitter, as he has been the top
riser on the site for the last four days. Conversely, the number of tweets about Ron Paul has
dropped in the past 24 hours. Another traffic loser was Rick Santorum, who has also seen tweets
about him fall off a bit.
While the overall tone of the Gingrich tweets is positive, public opinion regarding the candidate
and character issues is trending negatively. In particular, @MommaVickers says, "Someone
needs to put The Blood Arm's 'Suspicious Character' to a photo montage of Newt Gingrich.
#pimp”.
On the other hand, tweeters with a long reach are on the upside with regard to Newt Gingrich's
take on taxes. Tweeting about this issue, @elvisroy000 says, "Newt Gingrich Cut Taxes Balanced
Budget, 1n 80s and 90s, Newt experienced Conservative with values”.
Maine recently held its primary, but it isn't talking about Gingrich. Instead the focus is on Ron Paul
and religious issues.
Social Media Data Too!

22. Big Data Made Personal
REST_KEY Rest Coop Reporting Day Daypart Name Daypart Description Daypart Sales $ Daypart Transaction Qty
1364 SEA/TCA WA CP-0024 1/2/10 After 4PM 4PM - Close 1529.84 235
1364 SEA/TCA WA CP-0024 1/2/10 Afternoon 2PM - 4PM 539.2 75
1364 SEA/TCA WA CP-0024 1/2/10 Breakfast Open - 10:30AM (11AM weekend) 1027.4 180
1364 SEA/TCA WA CP-0024 1/2/10 Dinner 4PM - 9PM 957.24 156
1364 SEA/TCA WA CP-0024 1/2/10 Evening 9PM - Close 572.6 79
1364 SEA/TCA WA CP-0024 1/2/10 Late Night 11PM - 5AM 222.55 31
1364 SEA/TCA WA CP-0024 1/2/10 Lunch 11AM - 2PM 950.53 159
1364 SEA/TCA WA CP-0024 1/2/10 Morning Open - 11AM 1027.4 180
1364 SEA/TCA WA CP-0024 1/2/10 Regular Menu 10:30AM (11AM weekend) - Close 3019.57 469
1364 SEA/TCA WA CP-0024 1/2/10 Total Day All hours 4046.97 649
1364 SEA/TCA WA CP-0024 1/3/10 After 4PM 4PM - Close 1397.96 198
1364 SEA/TCA WA CP-0024 1/3/10 Afternoon 2PM - 4PM 613.56 83
1364 SEA/TCA WA CP-0024 1/3/10 Breakfast Open - 10:30AM (11AM weekend) 971.19 169
1364 SEA/TCA WA CP-0024 1/3/10 Dinner 4PM - 9PM 1138.37 157
1364 SEA/TCA WA CP-0024 1/3/10 Evening 9PM - Close 259.59 41
1364 SEA/TCA WA CP-0024 1/3/10 Late Night 11PM - 5AM 48.15 9
1364 SEA/TCA WA CP-0024 1/3/10 Lunch 11AM - 2PM 909.53 133
1364 SEA/TCA WA CP-0024 1/3/10 Morning Open - 11AM 971.19 169
1364 SEA/TCA WA CP-0024 1/3/10 Regular Menu 10:30AM (11AM weekend) - Close 2921.05 414
1364 SEA/TCA WA CP-0024 1/3/10 Total Day All hours 3892.24 583
1364 SEA/TCA WA CP-0024 1/4/10 After 4PM 4PM - Close 1583.05 244
1364 SEA/TCA WA CP-0024 1/4/10 Afternoon 2PM - 4PM 497.62 90
1364 SEA/TCA WA CP-0024 1/4/10 Breakfast Open - 10:30AM (11AM weekend) 817.03 211
1364 SEA/TCA WA CP-0024 1/4/10 Dinner 4PM - 9PM 1248.88 187
1364 SEA/TCA WA CP-0024 1/4/10 Evening 9PM - Close 334.17 57
1364 SEA/TCA WA CP-0024 1/4/10 Late Night 11PM - 5AM 65.43 10
1364 SEA/TCA WA CP-0024 1/4/10 Lunch 11AM - 2PM 869.66 162
1364 SEA/TCA WA CP-0024 1/4/10 Morning Open - 11AM 858.89 222
1364 SEA/TCA WA CP-0024 1/4/10 Regular Menu 10:30AM (11AM weekend) - Close 2992.19 507
1364 SEA/TCA WA CP-0024 1/4/10 Total Day All hours 3809.22 718
1364 SEA/TCA WA CP-0024 1/5/10 After 4PM 4PM - Close 1674.46 254
1364 SEA/TCA WA CP-0024 1/5/10 Afternoon 2PM - 4PM 480.8 103
1364 SEA/TCA WA CP-0024 1/5/10 Breakfast Open - 10:30AM (11AM weekend) 923.24 214
1364 SEA/TCA WA CP-0024 1/5/10 Dinner 4PM - 9PM 1313.03 200
1364 SEA/TCA WA CP-0024 1/5/10 Evening 9PM - Close 361.43 54
1364 SEA/TCA WA CP-0024 1/5/10 Late Night 11PM - 5AM 38.15 8
1364 SEA/TCA WA CP-0024 1/5/10 Lunch 11AM - 2PM 927.75 163
1364 SEA/TCA WA CP-0024 1/5/10 Morning Open - 11AM 996.56 227
1364 SEA/TCA WA CP-0024 1/5/10 Regular Menu 10:30AM (11AM weekend) - Close 3156.33 533
1364 SEA/TCA WA CP-0024 1/5/10 Total Day All hours 4079.57 747

25. Quill Engage for Google
Analytics

26. Quill Engage

27. Quill Engage

28. Quill Engage

30. Automated Stories: The
Future
• Ever more insightful, sophisticated, and
personalized narratives
• Making Big Data personal, understandable, and
actionable
• New media
• An authoring platform for everyone

31. Thanks
• Colleagues (many), especially Kris Hammond
• Students (scores), especially Nick Allen, Miriam
Boon, Jason Cohn, Jiahui Liu, Patrick McNally,
Shawn O’Banion, John Templon, and Earl Wagner
• Funders, especially the John S. and James L.
Knight Foundation, the National Science
Foundation, the Robert R. McCormick Foundation,
and Google
• Narrative Science, for making it real