data journalism: the myths and the magic asne convention washington, dc june 25, 2013
TRANSCRIPT
Data journalism: The myths and the magic
ASNE ConventionWashington, DCJune 25, 2013
Myth: Data journalism is a (single) discipline
Data visualizationspecialist
Computer-assistedreporter
News applicationsdeveloper
The 3 dimensions of data journalism
Computer-assisted reporter• Former home: newsroom city desk• Likely core skills:– “data state of mind” for reporting– can “interview” data – find stories in
data– can negotiate for data with government
agencies• Software: Excel, Access, mySQL
Jennifer LaFleurPro Publica
CAR director
News applications developer• Former home: IT department or non-
journalism business• Likely core skills:– “back end” (server) programming– database configuration and
administration– understands what ideas are easy and
hard to execute in code• Software: Ruby/Rails; Python/Django,
mySQL
Brian BoyerNPR
News apps editor
Data visualization specialist• Former home: newsroom graphics
department• Likely core skills:– can make data interesting and
accessible even in static print form– understands good visual design
principles• Software: Mapping (ArcGIS, Google
Maps, Leaflet), Javascript visualization libraries (e.g., D3)
Kat DownsWashington Postgraphics director
does not always equal
Filling these roles in your newsroom• Almost no one has all these skills• Unless you are a major news brand, you may not be able
to hire people with a long, proven track record in any of these areas
• No matter whom you hire, you (and they) should expect that they will need to keep learning
• Without a data-journalism culture in your newsroom, you won’t be able to keep good people
• The best solution: “grow your own”: train your staff, cultivate students before they graduate
• Think long term: you won’t get from 0 to 60 with a single hire
Computer-assisted reporter
• Journalism schools – especially those with computer-assisted reporting courses
• Your own reporters who:– Already use spreadsheets
in reporting– Are comfortable with
math and data– Use numbers effectively
in their stories
• IRE/NICAR – Data “boot camps”– Annual conferences– Newsroom training
• NICAR-L• SPJ & Poynter training
programs• PowerReporting.com
(Bill Dedman) training
WHERE TO LOOK RESOURCES
News applications developer
• Computer science schools – especially those with practical (not theoretical) focus
• Knight Scholarships at Medill – seeking industry partners
• Your own developers who:– Are interested in journalism– Participate in “OpenGov”
projects– Use contemporary tools
(Ruby, Python, PHP, JavaScript)
WHERE TO LOOK RESOURCES
• Courses in Web programming:– Codeacademy.com– Forjournalism.com– Lynda.com
• Books on programming in Ruby, Python, Javascript
• IRE/NICAR “boot camps”– Mapping– Web programming
Data visualization specialist
• Journalism schools – especially with programs in news graphics
• Other schools (engineering, design, etc.) with mapping or data visualization courses
• Your graphic artists who:– Like working on data-
intensive graphics– Are comfortable with math
and data– Have some experience with
GIS systems and/or Javascript
WHERE TO LOOK
• Visualisingdata.com (Andy Kirk) courses
• Alberto Cairo’s book The Functional Art
• MIT Open Courseware: “How to Process, Analyze and Visualize Data”
• Courses in JavaScript & mapping: – Codeacademy.com– Forjournalism.com
RESOURCES
Developing a data journalism culture
• Make sure at least one *editor* develops literacy in these areas
• Don’t have preconceived notions about what the right presentation approach is
• Develop data-related ideas as a team – with all three “dimensions” represented
• Have regular events where people interested in this topic can come together and learn
• Commit to ongoing development of your staff – tuition support, travel, newsroom training– Especially important: IRE’s CAR conference