The attention of the global data journalism community remains very much tuned in to the developing COVID-19 pandemic, which is reflected in our NodeXL #ddj mapping from March 16 to 22. The New York Times mapped the movements of millions of people to trace how the virus spread out from China, The Financial Times tracked how coronavirus case trajectories compare among countries, while Robert Kosara explains the brilliance of a “Flatten the Curve” cartoon.
Taboom Media has created a reporting guide for journalists interested in investigating how US-based faith groups and NGOs foment hate against LGBTQI+ communities, both in the United States and abroad.
The Global Investigative Journalism Network, Netzwerk Recherche and Interlink Academy are delighted to be offering, with the help of our sponsors, more than 200 fellowships to attend the premier international gathering of investigative and data journalists this year. The 11th Global Investigative Journalism Conference will be held in Hamburg, Germany from September 26 to 29, and will feature over a hundred exciting panels, workshops, and networking sessions.
The creative use of social media has given journalists new ways to solicit tips as well as tap readers’ expertise, opinions and personal experiences. GIJN’s Toby McIntosh has rounded up some of the best examples of community engagement in stories as well as a list of resources and ideas for crowdsourcing.
The areas for journalistic inquiry into LGBTQ issues are as broad as the communities themselves, ranging from shifting demographics and healthcare to hate crimes and discrimination. To help boost investigative reporting on these pressing issues, GIJN has assembled a list of key resources for journalists worldwide.
Full guide here. A variety of media guides exist on covering LGBTQ issues, most providing guidance on terminology. These include:
Investigating Anti-LGBTGI+ Hate, written and edited by Debra L. Mason and Brian Pellot, “features relevant background, tips, and sources to help journalists investigate and report on how faith groups and NGOs foment anti-LGBTQI+ hatred in the U.S. and abroad.” Published in 2019 by Taboom Media. Covering Sexual And Gender Minorities & Religion In Sub-Saharan Africa: A Reporting Guide for Journalists, was created by the Religion News Foundation and Heinrich Böll Stiftung Southern Africa. The National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association’s Stylebook Supplement on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Terminology is also published in Spanish.
Full guide here. As a resource for reporting on issues affecting LGBTQ communities, GIJN has assembled a collection of exemplary investigative reporting on these topics around the world during 2017. A major focus of investigative work in recent years has been on exposing violence against LGTBQ communities. “LGBT people are suffering a crucible of egregious violations, including killings, rape, mutilation, torture, arbitrary detention, abduction, harassment, physical and mental assaults,” Vitit Muntarbhorn, the UN’s first independent expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, reported in July of 2017. “People have become terribly afraid to talk,” Russia’s Elena Milashina told The New Yorker in a June 2017 interview while describing her reporting challenges.
Full guide here
To help journalists on in-depth projects into issues affecting LGBTQ communities, GIJN has assembled a broad range of data, documents, and other sources of information. This spreadsheet links to more than 50 international data sets (some downloadable), studies, national groups and places to find expert sources. Included are links to annual surveys on global attitudes and laws, United Nations reports, major regional reports, news sources, NGO contacts and more. There are quite a number of major international surveys, for example. The Global Attitudes Survey on LGBTI People, done by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA), is based on answers to 31 questions from almost 100,000 online individuals in 65 countries.
Australian journalist Rick Feneley wrote a powerful investigative piece about a string of gay hate crimes that plagued Australia’s eastern border. But before “The Gay Hate Decades” was published, Feneley was left with one last hurdle: Creating a digital element to accompany his work. And that’s where SBS web developer Ken Macleod came in.
What’s the global data journalism community tweeting about this week? Our NodeXL #ddj mapping from July 24 to 30 has @qz comparing the cost of Trump’s golf trips to transgender healthcare, @visualisingdata sharing a chart-making directory and graphics guru @EdwardTufte applying Ezra Pound’s 23 “don’ts” for writing poetry to design.
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Our fortnightly bulletin brings you the latest from GIJN, useful tips, tools and the best investigative stories around the world.
