Page 269 - DLIS402_INFORMATION_ANALYSIS_AND_REPACKAGING

Information Analysis and Repackaging

Notes Coding for Content Analysis

Preparing content for coding
Before content analysis can begin, it needs to be preserved in a form that can be analysed. For print
media, the internet, and mail surveys (which are already in written form) no transcription is needed.
However, radio and TV programs, as well as recorded interviews and group discussions, are often
transcribed before the content analysis can begin.
Full transcription – that is, conversion into written words, normally into a computer file – is slow
and expensive. Though it’s sometimes necessary, full transcription is often avoidable, without
affecting the quality of the analysis. A substitute for transcription is what I call content interviewing
(explained below).
When content analysis is focusing on visual aspects of a TV program, an alternative to transcription
is to take photos of the TV screen during the program, or to take a sample of frames from a video
recording. For example, if you take a frame every 15 seconds from a 25-minute TV program, you
will have 100 screenshots. These could be used for a content analysis of what is visible on the screen.
For a discussion program this would not be useful, because most photos would be almost identical,
but for programs with strong visual aspects – e.g., most wildlife programs—a set of photos can be a
good substitute for a written transcript. However this depends on the purpose of the content analysis.

It’s not possible to accurately analyse live radio and TV programs, because there’s
no time to re-check anything. While you’re taking notes, you’re likely to miss
something important. Therefore radio and TV programs need to be recorded before
they can be content-analysed.

Transcribing Recorded Speech
If you’ve never tried to transcribe an interview by writing out the spoken words, you’d probably
don’t think there’s anything subjective about it. But as soon as you start transcribing, you realize
that there are many styles, and many choices within each style. What people say is often not what
they intend. They leave out words, use the wrong word, stutter, pause, and correct themselves mid-
sentence. At times the voices are inaudible. Do you then guess, or leave a blank? Should you add
“stage directions” - that the speaker shouted or whispered, or somebody else was laughing in the
background?
Ask three or four people (without giving them detailed instructions) to transcribe the same tape of
speech, and you’ll see surprising differences. Even when transcribing a TV or radio program, with
a professional announcer reading from a script, the tone of voice can change the intended meaning.
The main principle that emerges from this is that you need to write clear instructions for transcription,
and ensure that all transcribers (if there is more than one) closely follow those instructions. It’s
useful to have all transcribers begin by transcribing the same text for about 30 minutes. They then
stop and compare the transcriptions. If there are obvious differences, they then repeat the process,
and again compare the transcriptions. After a few hours, they are coordinated.
It generally takes a skilled typist, using a transcription recorder with a foot-pedal control, about a
day’s work to transcribe an hour or two of speech. If a lot of people are speaking at once on the tape,
and the transcriber is using an ordinary cassette player, and the microphone used was of low quality,
the transcription can easily take 10 times as long as the original speech.
Another possibility is to use speech-recognition software, but unless the speaker is exceptionally
clear (e.g., a radio announcer) a lot of manual correction is usually needed, and not much time is
saved.

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