Developing a data state of

mindData-driven enterprise

off your beat

Clifton Adcock

Reporter

Oklahoma Watch

Where are we headed today?P

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• Why do data journalism?

• Develop a data state of mind

• Where and how to find data

• What’s the story?

• Exercises

What have

YOU

done with

data?

By

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Why data journalism?

Why data journalism?• Powerful verification tool

• See the bigger picture

• Find stories

• Better understand the subject

• Enhances transparencyand credibility

2013 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service Sun Sentinel on police speeding

“Nearly 800

cops…drove 90 to

130 mph.”

bit.ly/speedpulitzer

What is a data state of mind?• Move from an

anecdotal view to a

big-picture one.

• Understand the

importance of public

records and data.

• “What data did you

use to come to that

conclusion, and where

did you get it?”

Understand how

What is a data state of mind?• Understand how

statistics and data

can be

manipulated.

• Understand your

own biases and

assumptions.

“There

are three

kinds of

lies: lies,

damned

lies, and

statistics.

” – Mark

Twain

Fallin vs. Dorman on minimum wage What do the data show?

bit.ly/okminwage

6% of OK

workers

earned

minimum

wage or

below in

2013

Categorical

Categorical

Continuous

Continuous

What do you want to know?• A comparison of two or more things?

• Variations over time?

• Relationships between two or more things?

What do you want to know?•Distributions?

•What parts make up the whole?

•A combination of these?

Oklahoma earthquake data

bit.ly/quakeswarm

“More than a dozen

small earthquakes

shook central

Oklahoma…including

several temblors that

were 3.0-magnitude or

higher, which people

can generally feel.”

Where’s the story?

• Did you answer your original question?

• Do the findings matchother sources?

Where’s the story?

• How else can you analyzethe data?

• Was there something unexpected?

• How do you visualize the findings?

Where do you find data?

•Online

•Requests to government agencies, private companies/organizations

•Gather it yourself

Hospital-cost reports

bit

.ly/o

kho

spit

al

“Most of Oklahoma’s

small general hospitals

have lost money in

recent years, while the

opposite is true for

larger hospitals.”

Let’s try it: exercises1. Do a simple sort on

a data set. Open the Doctorsdatabase, and let’s see what you find.

Exercise 1: Sort data in ExcelStep 1: Highlight all the

data by hitting Control A

on PC or Command A on

Mac.

Step 2: Click

on the Funnel

Exercise 1: Sort data in Excel

Step 2: Click on the funnel

Step 3: Click “Custom Sort”

Exercise 1: Sort data in Excel

Step 4: Click on “Sort by” drop-down and select “People per Physician”

Step 5: Click “OK”

Exercise 1: Sort data in Excel

Step 6: Click on the “Order” drop-down and select “Largest to Smallest”

Step 7: Click “OK”

Let’s try it: exercises1. Do a simple sort on

a data set. What did you find?

2. Do a simple filteron a data set. Open the Superintendentsdatabase, and let’s see what you find.

Exercise 2: Filter data in ExcelStep 1: Highlight

all the data by

hitting Control A

on PC or

Command A on

Mac.

Exercise 2: Filter data in Excel

Step 2: Click on the funnel

Step 3: Click “Filter”

Exercise 2: Filter data in Excel

Step 4: Click on the small arrowhead to the right of

“School Year Ending” header.

Step 5: This box will appear.

Exercise 2: Filter data in Excel

Step 6: Click on the “Order” drop-down and select “Largest to Smallest”

Step 7: Click “OK”

Step 6: Unclick the box next to

“2005”

Let’s try it: exercises1. Do a simple sort on

a data set. What do you find?

2. Do a simple filteron a data set. What did you find?

3. Use the sort/filter functions on the county indicators data. Do you see a possible story?

What data apply to your beat?• Pair up and look at pages 4-6 of the handout.

• Discuss: What data apply to your beator interest you?

• Use Google Advanced Search to find data online.

https://www.google.com/advanced_search

Keywords

Website

.xls or .xlsx

Clifton Adcock

Reporter

Oklahoma Watch

cadcock@oklahomawatch.org

(918) 561-1705

@cliftonhowze

What data story are you going to do?How can I help?

By

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