Tagtaly transforms raw news data into actionable intelligence. But without understanding what each chart, metric, and visualization means, the dashboard can feel overwhelming. This guide walks you through every section of the Tagtaly dashboard, explaining what the numbers represent, how to interpret them, and—most importantly—how to use the insights for better editorial decisions.
Understanding the Dashboard Layout
The Tagtaly dashboard is organized into seven main sections, each revealing a different dimension of news trends. Think of it as a control center for news intelligence, where every chart answers a specific question about what's happening in UK and US news.
The dashboard updates every hour, pulling data from over 500 news articles daily across 5 major news sources. This means the trends you're seeing are fresh, relevant, and representative of what's currently dominating news coverage.
1. The Hero Section: Today's Snapshot
At the very top of the dashboard, you'll see a featured story with key statistics. This hero section gives you instant context:
- Last updated: When the data was refreshed (usually within the last hour)
- Total articles analyzed: How many stories Tagtaly processed today
- News sources tracked: The number of outlets contributing to your data
- Charts generated: How many visualizations were created today
Section 1: Conversation & Topics
This section answers the question: "What are people talking about?"
The Topic Surge Alert Chart
This horizontal bar chart shows which topics have seen the biggest week-over-week growth. The metric is simple but powerful: percentage change in article volume.
Here's what to look for:
- Red bars (surging topics): Topics with 50%+ growth are getting significantly more coverage than last week. These often represent breaking news or emerging trends.
- Green bars (declining topics): Topics with declining coverage may have lost public interest or media focus.
- Tall bars vs. short bars: The length represents the magnitude of change—a 200% surge is more dramatic than a 20% increase.
Section 2: Sentiment & Geography
Sentiment reveals the emotional tone of news coverage. Positive stories celebrate achievements and good news. Negative stories highlight problems, scandals, or concerns. Neutral stories present facts without emotional language.
Understanding Sentiment Scores
Tagtaly uses a scale from -1.0 (most negative) to +1.0 (most positive). A score of 0.0 is perfectly neutral.
- Above +0.5: Positive tone (good news, achievements, celebrations)
- Between -0.5 and +0.5: Neutral tone (factual reporting)
- Below -0.5: Negative tone (problems, scandals, concerns)
UK vs. US Sentiment
This comparison shows how sentiment differs between the UK and US news landscapes. You might notice that politics sentiment in the US is more negative (reflecting polarization) while UK lifestyle stories are more positive (celebrating community events).
Section 3: Coverage & Sources
This section reveals which topics get the most coverage and which outlets focus on what.
Category Distribution
Tagtaly categorizes news into five main groups:
- Politics: UK politics, US politics, international affairs, breaking news
- Lifestyle: Health, weather, crime, community news
- Entertainment: Celebrity, entertainment news, social media trends
- Business: Companies, earnings, markets, and corporate moves
- Money: Personal finance, bills, and cost-of-living shifts
The distribution bars show what percentage of today's coverage falls into each category. A 60% politics focus means politics is dominating news cycles—often a sign of major political news or elections.
Section 4: Timing & Timeline
This section shows when articles are published. News doesn't publish evenly throughout the day—patterns emerge.
Look for peaks in the timeline: morning peaks (6-9 AM) show overnight developments being reported, while evening peaks (5-8 PM) often represent analysis and reaction pieces.
Section 5: Engagement & Virality
The virality metrics predict which stories have the potential to explode across social media.
The Virality Score (0-20 Scale)
Tagtaly's virality score combines five detection algorithms:
- Topic Surge Detection: Sudden increases in topic volume
- Political Mentions: Coverage of key political figures
- Record Numbers: Stories with "highest," "lowest," or "record" angles
- Sentiment Shifts: Rapid mood changes in coverage
- Media Bias Tracking: Stories covered inconsistently across outlets
- Score 15-20: Very high virality potential—likely to go mainstream
- Score 10-15: Strong potential—worth watching
- Score 5-10: Moderate potential—could develop further
- Score 0-5: Lower virality—probably niche interest
Section 6: Live Feed
This accordion-style feed shows the latest articles in real-time. Each entry includes:
- Headline: The article's title
- Source: Which outlet published it (BBC, Guardian, Sky, etc.)
- Category: Politics, Lifestyle, Entertainment, Business, or Money
- Sentiment: Positive, neutral, or negative
- Published time: How recently the article appeared
Use the search and filter functions to find articles on specific topics. Search for "NHS" to see all health-related articles, for example.
Common Misconceptions About the Dashboard
Myth: High Sentiment = Good News
Wrong. High positive sentiment doesn't necessarily mean "good" news for your business. A scandal exposé might have negative sentiment but be extremely important for your audience to know. Use sentiment as context, not judgment.
Myth: Volume = Importance
More articles about a topic doesn't always mean it's more important. Sometimes outlets over-cover celebrity news while missing crucial policy changes. Combine volume data with sentiment and virality scores for better decisions.
Myth: The Virality Score is Guaranteed
The virality score predicts potential, not certainty. A story with a high virality score might still not go viral if circumstances change. Use it as a guide, not gospel.
Putting It All Together: A Real Example
Let's say you notice: Politics has surged 150%, with negative sentiment at -0.7. This tells you a political scandal is unfolding and news coverage is critical. The virality score might be 17/20, suggesting the story is about to explode.
What should you do? Assign a reporter to cover angles others haven't yet. Get primary sources. Prepare for heavy traffic. The data is telling you this story matters—now it's your job to cover it better than anyone else.
Next Steps
Now that you understand the dashboard, you might want to:
- Read our detailed guide to sentiment analysis
- Learn about how virality scores are calculated
- Explore best practices for using Tagtaly in your newsroom