Does that mean that the storytelling function of journalism is just going to disappear?

Almost certainly not. Indeed, one of the special things about journalism, and one thing about it that will probably distinguish it from many other data-centric ways of communicating over the coming years, is the fact that it will always be interested in telling good stories.

Even amid all the hype about data journalism, structured journalism, and computational reporting, it is remarkable the degree to which journalists maintain their fidelity to news narratives. "We use [data] tools to find and tell stories," wrote journalist and developer Anthony Debarros on his blog in 2010. "We use them like we use a telephone. The story is still the thing." In a 2011 lecture at Harvard University, Computer- Assisted Reporting pioneer Philip Meyer argued that both "narrative journalism and precision journalism are special forms requiring special skills. If we were to blend the two, what should we call it? I like the term 'evidence-based narrative.' It implies good storytelling based on verifiable evidence. Yes, that would be an esoteric specialty. But I believe that a market for it is developing. The information marketplace is moving us inexorably toward greater and greater specialization."

Even the most committed practitioners of data-oriented journalism, in short, imagine much more of a synthesis between the narrative and data-based aspects of their craft. The story-based function of news reporting appears unlikely to go away any time soon. Conveying information through narrative seems to be one of the few things that make journalism journalism.