A “charticle” is a “chart” that’s also an “article.” The term “charticle” was used in Forbes magazine since at least February 23, 1998. Forbes’ “Charticle” feature was written by Peter Brimelow.
The “charticle” had appeared in newspapers for many years before 1998, when it was then called an “infographic” or other names. Similar to the “charticle” is the “listicle” (list + article).
A Charticle is a combination of text, images and graphics that takes the place of a full article. Unlike a traditional news article that usually consists of large blocks of text with occasional images or other graphics used to enhance the article’s visual appeal or to convey some ancillary information, a charticle is composed primarily of an image with text used only sparingly to provide additional information. The ratio of text to images is inverted in a charticle compared to a traditional article, essentially making it the graphic novel equivalent of a traditional news article.
Pronunciation: \chahrt -ti-kuh l\
Etymology: chart + article
: more commonly referred to as an infographic, the word charticle is used mostly in the newspaper industry to describe a the use of visual imagery, design elements, and text as a narrative device thought to allow a reader easy access to the information presented.
USA Today is best known for its charticle usage, but Gawker also embraces the term. Another good example would be New York magazine’s Approval Matrix.
Squeasel Words: Portmanteaus or Blends
charticle (chart + article) — An article in a magazine that is presented in the form of a chart.
12 February 1998, Richmond (VA) Times-Dispatch, pg. A21:
A “charticle” by Peter Brimelow in the February 23 Forbes says disturbing things about unemployment among African Americans.
30 April 1998, Pittsburgh (PA) Post-Gazette, pg. E3:
Peter Brimelow’s always interesting double-page feature, ``Charticle,’’ not only shows how stable the real price of an ounce of gold has been…
Village Voice (New York, NY)
Some get a decade; we get a moment
Tuesday, July 6th 1999
Again, Big Daddy and Austin Powers are very wet dreams of a world where our manifold references are commonplace, not just interior landfill fit only for our signal contribution to journalism: the comparative rather than interpretive “charticle.”
Blame pain-in-the-neck unions for education bow tie (and suburban parents)
Chicago Sun-Times ^ | 05/20/2003 | John O’Sullivan
Posted on Wednesday, May 21, 2003 10:24:25 AM by Constitutionalist Conservative
Remember the bell curve? Well, here comes its even more terrifying successor—the bow tie.
Some years ago a Forbes columnist was compiling a chart for an article on education. The statistical relationship he uncovered in his research was so remarkable that it became an article in itself--or what the columnist called “a charticle.” That is a chart that makes such a strong point that it requires very few words of additional explanation. Charticles duly became a regular feature in Forbes and later on CBS Marketwatch.
In this case the charticle consisted of two lines. One line, beginning at the lower left hand corner of the chart and rising diagonally to the upper right hand corner, represented national spending on education.
New York (NY) Times
Has Gawker Jumped the Snark?
By ALLEN SALKIN
Published: January 13, 2008
“I don’t care that top 10 lists perform well on the Internet,” Mr. Sicha said by phone last week from New Hampshire, where he was covering the primaries for The New York Observer. “I don’t want to write a top 10 list in my life, ever. I don’t want to construct a charticle.”
What is a Charticle?
I’d never come across the term ‘charticle’ before. And I can’t be the only one as it’s not even included in Wikipedia (yet). I thought that might mean that it didn’t actually exist?!?
American Journalism Review (October/November 2008)
Bite-sized combinations of words, images and graphics called charticles are in vogue at a number of American newspapers. And they are not necessarily the enemy of compelling narrative.
By Dane Stickney
Well, here’s an equation that editors and designers in newsrooms ranging from small dailies in Oregon to major metros in Florida are increasingly turning to: Chart + article = charticle.
New York City • Media/Newspapers/Magazines/Internet • Wednesday, November 04, 2009 • Permalink