A brief 15-minute presentation introducing the basic concepts and abstract principles of the nascent field of data journalism.

1. 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”,
}
Tuesday, June 25, 13

2. 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.
Tuesday, June 25, 13

3. 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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4. 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
Tuesday, June 25, 13

5. 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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6. What data journalism is:
•Visual
•Often-evergreen
•Transparent – direct access to primary
source.
•Credible
•Engaging
•Good business model
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7. 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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8. 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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9. •“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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10. Tuesday, June 25, 13

11. 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.
Tuesday, June 25, 13

12. Questions? Sorry, no time now.
Follow me on Twitter @carlvlewis
Tuesday, June 25, 13