If you have a dataset involving geographic locations, these tools and tipsheets can help you analyze your data using maps. The most commonly used mapping programs in newsrooms are ArcGIS from Esri (which has free options for journalists) and the open-source program QGIS. Some also are useful for visualizing, but we’ve added a separate list […]
Python is one of the most popular programming languages for data journalists, and it is useful for scraping websites as well as cleaning and analyzing data. Here are some resources for learning to code in Python. A Byte of Python is an online book dedicated to the basics of Python. It is targeted at those […]
SQL is a commonly used language for working with databases. It is particularly useful for working with larger datasets that can bog down Excel and for joining separate datasets for analysis. Several open-source versions are used in newsrooms, including Postgresql and DB Browser for SQLite. Here are some tips on how to get started. This […]
Spreadsheets often are the first data tool journalists learn to use. They come in handy for cleaning and analyzing data in structured formats such as .csv files. Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets are the most commonly used spreadsheets. Below are some resources to help you navigate Excel and improve your spreadsheet skills. Data Journalism Training: […]
Got dirty data or pesky PDFs? These programs can help you get your data into a format you can use. OpenRefine is a free tool for exploring, cleaning, and matching data. It is particularly useful for dealing with messy data. It is available in English, Chinese, Spanish, French, Russian, Portuguese (Brazil), German, Japanese, Italian, Hungarian, […]
Once you have your data, check out these free online tipsheets and tutorials for advice on how to inspect and clean it before you start analyzing. This story is a great example of what to do when there are gaps in terms of the data available from official bodies (2021). Data Biographies: How to Get […]
Government bodies often have mechanisms that allow journalists and members of the public to request data and documents. Below are some resources to help you understand the public records laws where you live and draft successful records requests. The National Freedom of Information Coalition is a US nonprofit organization that has a guide to international […]
These conferences can provide opportunities to network, learn new techniques, and discuss story ideas with fellow data journalists. The Centre for Investigative Journalism Summer Conference includes sessions on data journalism from leading practitioners. Data Harvest is held in conjunction with the European Investigative Journalism Conference. The next one is scheduled for 19-22 May 2022 in […]
If you’re new to data journalism, these free online materials can help you get your bearings. Read this 2022 big list of data journalism tools and resources by GIJN’s Alastair Otter. What data journalists should know about building custom AI models, by Jeremy Merrill and the Columbia Journalism Review. Collaborative Data Journalism Guide This 2019 […]
Data journalism is a perpetually evolving topic. GIJN’s resource pages are updated regularly with new material. Data + Journalism – A Story-Driven Approach to Learning Data Reporting by Mike Reilley and Samantha Sunne (to be published in 2023). At the GIJC19 conference in Hamburg, attendees heard the presentation: Latest Data Journalism Trends From AI to […]
Scraping refers to using a tool or writing a program that automatically pulls data from a website. Below are some resources for learning to scrape data from websites, no matter what your comfort level with coding. This chapter from The Data Journalism Handbook 1 includes tips for scraping and some code examples. Journocode (2019) offers a […]
What’s the global data journalism community tweeting about this week? Our NodeXL #ddj mapping from September 2 to 8 finds Folha de São Paulo’s beautiful 3D animation of the Brazil National Museum’s restoration efforts, Guardian’s real-time visualization of Irish border crossings, NZZ’s look at China’s bad research impacting scientists worldwide, and The New York Times calculating the variability of New York City’s subway commute times.
Artificial intelligence for journalism is both promising and overhyped. Computational journalist Jonathan Stray dug into the state of AI in investigative reporting, outlining for GIJN where the near-future opportunities lie.
What’s the global data journalism community tweeting about this week? Our NodeXL #ddj mapping from August 26 to Sept 1 finds The New York Times examining the massive amount of digital trackers that follow an individual’s web activity, The Washington Post looking at the stress on global water resources, Data Visualization Society announcing the first #VizRisk challenge winners, and Datajournalism.com sharing tips on how journalists can learn to code.
Rui Barros spent the past three years building a data unit at Rádio Renascença, one of the oldest radio stations in Portugal. Here are the lessons he learned along the way.
What’s the global data journalism community tweeting about this week? Our NodeXL #ddj mapping from August 19 to 25 finds Bloomberg mapping the alarming degradation of the Amazon rainforest, Alyssa Fowers discussing variations in visualizing mass shootings and their corresponding impact on readers, Data Carpentry sharing tips for organizing data in spreadsheets, and Atlatszo visualizing the succession of Hungarian kings.
What’s the global data journalism community tweeting about this week? Our NodeXL #ddj mapping from August 12 to 18 finds information designer Giorgia Lupi discussing how to embrace data complexity, The New York Times Opinion building a forking path visualization to predict an individual’s political leanings, the Guardian visualizing Brexit’s potential impact on the UK’s food imports, and El Universal Mexico looking at the incidences of crime claiming young victims.
What’s the global data journalism community tweeting about this week? Our NodeXL #ddj mapping from August 5 to 11 finds Spiegel Online analyzing the typical features in Quentin Tarantino’s films, MU Collective releasing an interactive “TheyDrawIt” tool to engage and educate readers, and the conversation on the climate crisis heating up — with 101 East Al Jazeera looking into Cambodia’s deforestation, Neue Zürcher Zeitung analyzing Switzerland’s forest fires, and the Financial Times digging into the impact of jet streams on the climate.
What’s the global data journalism community tweeting about this week? Our NodeXL #ddj mapping from July 29 to August 4 finds a number of articles related to the climate crisis, including the BBC’s piece on tree planting and its interactive tool on temperatures across the world, as well as Alberto Cairo’s blog post on misleading charts created by climate deniers. We also found useful tips and tools: a data GIF maker by Google News Initiative, Datajournalism.com’s strategies for teaching data journalism, and Paul Bradshaw’s tutorial on how to extract numeric data from phrases.
What’s the global data journalism community tweeting about this week? Our NodeXL #ddj mapping from July 22 to 28 finds The New York Times analyzing the catalyst behind Hong Kong’s recent protests, National Geographic visualizing human migration in the past 50 years, Ellery Studio’s fun and informative renewable energy coloring book, and The Economist’s findings that Hillary Clinton could have won the 2016 US election if all Americans had turned up to vote.
What’s the global data journalism community tweeting about this week? Our NodeXL #ddj mapping from July 8 to 14 finds BBC News analyzing Afghan election results as well as graphing the milestones of the 25-year-old Amazon empire, Federica Fragapane visualizing the female menstruation cycle for Scientific American, and Bloomberg taking a closer look at China’s domination of the South China Sea. We also have a fun piece by Alberto Cairo on nonsensical diagrams.
What’s the global data journalism community tweeting about this week? Our NodeXL #ddj mapping from June 17 to 23 finds Federica Fragapane visualizing space debris and their distance from earth, The New York Times open-sourcing its in-house data curriculum, Nathan Yau visualizing what time is lost for people once they have children, and Guns & America quantifying gunshot incidents within 300 meters of Washington, DC schools.
What’s the global data journalism community tweeting about this week? Our NodeXL #ddj mapping from June 10 to 16 finds a gorgeous series of data visualizations by National Geographic on the Ring of Fire, Bloomberg analyzing the influence of dynasties in the Philippines’ politics, RStudio’s Hadley Wickham talking about why you shouldn’t assign data cleaning to a “data janitor,” and BR Recherche looking at the complexity of privacy policies.
Every investigative journalist encounters moments of doubt. Neil Bedi, an investigative reporter at the Tampa Bay Times, shares the set of rules his team followed to survive the toughest reporting challenges while reporting their Pulitzer-nominated series “Heartbroken.”
What’s the global data journalism community tweeting about this week? Our NodeXL #ddj mapping from June 3 to 9 finds @sto3psl mapping places the Avengers visited in Europe, @fedfragapane visualizing which elements in the periodic table are in danger of running out, @srfdata highlighting the top worries of the Swiss and @propublica doing researchers and journalists a huge public service by making 3 million US nonprofit records text-searchable.
What’s the global data journalism community tweeting about this week? Our NodeXL #ddj mapping from May 27 to June 2 finds immense buzz around the recent European Parliament elections, with @SZ explaining the EU political landscape, @morgenpost looking at the results in Berlin, and @journocode collecting data journalism pieces related to the election. There’s also @datajournalism’s tips on presenting data through audio and @BIRNSrbija’s data investigation into major corporate tax fraud in Serbia.
What’s the global data journalism community tweeting about this week? Our NodeXL #ddj mapping from May 20 to 26 finds @PostGraphics’ meticulous cataloguing of all on-screen deaths in Game of Thrones, @datajournalism’s tips on covering the crime beat, @DIEZEIT’s analysis of a politically diverse European parliament, and a quick beginner’s guide to learning data visualization by @AlliTorban.
What’s the global data journalism community tweeting about this week? Our NodeXL #ddj mapping from May 13 to 19 finds a preview snippet on sensible charts from @albertocairo’s upcoming book “How Charts Lie,” @ladatamx’s report on homicides in Mexico, @RepublikMagazin’s analysis on the changing ideologies of political parties in the European Union, and a recap of the Data Journalism UK conference by @paulbradshaw.
