The world of data journalism

“Where is the life we have lost in living?

Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?

Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?”

Thus wrote T S Eliot in “The Rock” in 1934. Today, we can add to this: “Where is the insight we have lost in data?”

In a digital world, we deal with an increasing amount of data. Data journalism is data-driven journalism—working effectively with data and producing compelling data stories under tight deadlines. Journalism in the 21st century involves finding, collecting and analysing data for storytelling, presentation and investigative reporting. 

Data journalism is computer-assisted reporting and data-driven journalism, where journalists use large databases to produce stories. In data journalism, there is a visualisation of data or visual communication encompassing infographics or visual representation of information, numbers or knowledge to present it clearly and appealingly.

The compilation of data is not new. Press Trust of India, for instance, has been publishing “‘Data India”, a weekly digest of Indian news covering the various sectors, the states, foreign affairs and the world. But data today is available instantly on the net, and one can also compare similar data with various sources.

Simon Rogers, Twitter’s first Data Editor and former editor of Guardian’s award-winning Datablog and author of Facts are Sacred: the power of Data says, “Data gives you ways to tell stories which just weren’t possible before. You can tell amazing stories with data you couldn’t have done before. It gives insight into the way people think and behave.”

Datablog was something which the Guardian thought was a possible future for journalism. The timing could never have been better. The importance of facts was emphasised by the then editor of Guardian C P Scott, in 1921 when he said, “Facts are sacred; a comment is free.” Today facts have become a new type of journalism in itself: Data journalism.

Having lots of data and numbers is one thing, but the narrative, telling the story, and doing it well is another. The evidence in the data lets a journalist know that he has a good story and good information to put in the story that will help prove what he is talking about.

According to Nicolas Kayser-Bril, co-founder of data journalism startup, Journalism++, “Our media environment is increasingly saturated with data. Data-savvy journalists can process this information to understand what is in it, to identify what is important and to provide insights to readers in a compelling way.”

There is a lot more in data than meets the eye—Data helps to think critically. You can find stories in it. Data can be formed into functional and attractive pieces of visual information to gain people’s trust.

Skill sets

Writing skills, data science tools, data visualisation tools, interviewing skills, data collection and analysis, journalism ethics, critical thinking and attention to detail, headline creation and interpersonal communication skills are necessary to become a data journalist.

Courses and resources

Data-driven journalism course (five modules online, University of Houston)

Visualisation for data journalism (MOOC, University of Illinois/ Coursera)

Data literacy for journalists (MOOC, University of Sheffield/ Future Learn)

Alison (www.alison.com), an Irish online education platform, conducts a basic course in data journalism (a good starter for beginners).

Columbia Journalism School offers an MS in Data Journalism, a three-semester programme providing hands-on training to tell deeply reported data-driven stories in the public interest.

Microsoft has data visualisation training for journalists

Google News Initiative has 18 lessons covering various aspects of Data Journalism.

DataJournalism.com has free video courses, long-read articles by data experts, a newsletter and Data Journalism Handbook 1 and 2 and Verification Handbook 1, 2, and 3 (all the handbooks can be read online or downloaded as pdf). This website is the most helpful resource.

As most MOOC courses are free, keen students can do two or more courses to build their knowledge base.

Data journalism has changed the way journalists work. It reflects the increased interaction between journalists (content producers) and other fields, such as graphic design, statistics and computers.

Data journalism has a great future as the world is becoming more transparent, with more data available and accessible. News organisations are increasingly realising the importance of simplifying data to tell stories. It promotes a greater openness while pushing universities and colleges to develop data journalism courses.