Introduction to Data Journalism

{

“presented by”: “carl v. lewis”,

“for”: “center for collaborative journalism”,

“where”: “mercer university”,

“date”: “june 24, 2013”,

“contact”: “carl@carlvlewis.net”,

}

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What is data journalism?

•Data itself is the story; standalone narrative.•Interactive, communicative, visual.•Ranges from simple (charts) to complex (database-driven applications).•Both a technique and a format.•Both entertaining and factual.

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The history of data journalism•Grew out of CAR (computer assisted-reporting) tradition

•John Snow’s 1854 cholera map

•Has coincided with the era of “Big Data”

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On the emergence of the field of data journalism:

•"When information was scarce, most of our efforts were devoted to hunting and gathering. Now that information is abundant, processing is more important." –Phillip Meyer, UNC Chapel Hill

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What data journalism is not:

•Simply incorporating public data into your textual narrative.

•Infographics.

•Illustrations.

•Resource-intensive.

•Just about numbers and programming.

•Just about making data flashy.

•Transparent – direct access to primary

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What data journalism is:

•Visual

•Often-evergreen

•Transparent – direct access to primary source.

•Credible

•Engaging

•Good business model

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The role of the data journalist

•Part statistician, part reporter, part programmer.

•“We're statisticians.We don't program.”

•“We’re programmers.We don’t report.”

•“We’re reporters. We don’t code.”

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Democratization of data journalism

•Free and open-source tools (Google Maps API, JavaScript libraries, etc.).

•Open Data laws.

•“Anyone can do it. Data journalism is the new punk.” -Simon Rogers,The Guardian

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•“Mapping America: Every City, Every Block,” NYTimes.com

•“Where Does My Money Go?,” The Guardian.

•Women’s health providers, Texas Tribune

Notable examples of data journalism

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How do you do data journalism?

•The answer: JavaScript*

•Also acceptable: open-source tools.

•For a full-list of tools, go to http://carlvlewis.net/dataviztools

•Come to 11:45 a.m. panel in CCJ 131.

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Questions? Sorry, no time now.Follow me on Twitter @carlvlewis

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