Charting the Sprint & Clearwire Deal

Business pieces are often filled with jargon or information a surprising amount of Americans do not understand. Terminology about shares, profits and acquisitions are explained as carefully as possible, but the concise and brief nature of news prevents the author from providing a fuller understanding for those who are not business-savvy.

Enter The Chart

Charts are arguably one of the most helpful tools available to readers. I've been reading charts from a very young age. We spend most of our elementary to middle school careers analyzing or making our own charts that varied in difficulty and amount of information.

The bottom line is obvious: charts tell stories in clear, visual terms.

Moreover, charts show and demonstrate change over time in a way that words cannot. The LA Times' recent article about Sprint in its'"Tech Now" section is a great example of how including a chart can help the reader understand exactly what the article is saying.

As usual, the headline makes it very clear what the piece is about. "Sprint to pay $2.2 billion to acquire the rest of Clearwire."

As a reader who hasn't heard about Sprint since the age of Nextel popularity, I am prompted to ask "so what? Aren't they a non-factor in the US mobile industry nowadays?" Reading the article, I am given a slightly better clue as to how Sprint is actually still the third-largest service carrier. Really!? Cool. I then get a few quotes on how Sprint's shares and competitive position have improved. Well, that's nice I guess. Finally, at the very bottom, I see this:

Now why didn't you show me that in the first place!? This chart shows a dramatic change in the Sprint corporation over a mere seven months. Now that's a visual that leaves an impression and makes me think "Wow, Sprint must really be stepping up their game and becoming a force to be reckoned with. Maybe I should find out more info." A chart is universal and easy to understand. More journalists should be including them in their online media, especially reporters covering tech and business.

Do you think charts effectively explain concepts and facts?