The data journalism handbook: towards a critical data practice
Amsterdam:
Amsterdam University Press
(2021), 415 pp.
ISBN 978-90-4854-207-9 (pdf); 978-94-6298-951-1 (hbk)
CC BY-NC-ND
"This book is a valuable collection of tips and techniques, covering both data as a source of journalism and as a tool with which the story is told. It starts with a general introduction on the main characteristics of data journalism, gives an insight into its practical relevance in the newsroom, and presents inspiring case studies on elections, riots, school performance, corruption and other issues. It then introduces methods of data sourcing from open data portals, through freedom of information laws, and by crowdsourcing, followed by practical advice on how to extract and interpret information from raw data. The final section on "delivering data" shows how data visualisation helps to tell stories and provides tips on building news apps and feeding open data platforms." (CAMECO Update 2-2012)
Contents
Introduction / Jonathan Gray and Liliana Bounegru, 11
DOING ISSUES WITH DATA
1. From Coffee to Colonialism: Data Investigations Into How the Poor Feed the Rich / Raúl Sánchez and Ximena Villagrán, 27
2. Repurposing Census Data to Measure Segregation in the United States / Aaron Williams, 31
3. Multiplying Memories while Discovering Trees in Bogotá / María Isabel Magaña, 34
4. Behind the Numbers: Home Demolitions in Occupied East Jerusalem / Mohammed Haddad, 37
5. Mapping Crash Incidents to Advocate for Road Safety in the Philippines / Aika Rey, 41
6. Tracking Worker Deaths in Turkey / Pinar Dag, 44
ASSEMBLING DATA
7. Building Your Own Data Set: Documenting Knife Crime in the United Kingdom / Caelainn Barr, 49
8. Narrating a Number and Staying With the Trouble of Value / Helen Verran, 55
9. Indigenous Data Sovereignty: Implications for Data Journalism / Tahu Kukutai and Maggie Walter, 65
10. Alternative Data Practices in China / Yolanda Jinxin Ma, 74
11. Making a Database to Document Land Conflicts Across India / Kumar Sambhav Shrivastava and Ankur Paliwal, 84
12. Reassembling Public Data in Cuba: Collaborations When Information Is Missing, Outdated or Scarce / Saimi Reyes Carmona, Yudivián Almeida Cruz and Ernesto Guerra, 87
13. Making Data With Readers at La Nación / Flor Coelho, 91
14. Running Surveys for Investigations / Crina-Gabriela Boros, 96
WORKING WITH DATA
15. Data Journalism: What’s Feminism Got to Do With I.T.? / Catherine D’Ignazio, 103
16. Infrastructuring Collaborations Around the Panama and Paradise Papers / Emilia Díaz-Struck, Cécile Schilis-Gallego and Pierre Romera, 109
17. Text as Data: Finding Stories in Text Collections / Barbara Maseda, 116
18. Coding With Data in the Newsroom / Basile Simon, 124
19. Accounting for Methods: Spreadsheets, Scripts and Programming Notebooks / Sam Leon, 128
20. Working Openly in Data Journalism / Natalia Mazotte, 138
21. Making Algorithms Work for Reporting / Jonathan Stray, 143
22. Journalism With Machines? From Computational Thinking to Distributed Cognition / Eddy Borges-Rey, 147
EXPERIENCING DATA
23. Ways of Doing Data Journalism / Sarah Cohen, 157
24.Data Visualizations: Newsroom Trends and Everyday Engagements / Helen Kennedy, William Allen, Martin Engebretsen, Rosemary Lucy Hill, Andy Kirk and Wibke Weber, 162
25. Sketching With Data / Mona Chalabi and Jonathan Gray, 174
26. The Web as Medium for Data Visualization / Elliot Bentley, 182
27. Four Recent Developments in News Graphics / Gregor Aisch and Lisa Charlotte Rost, 193
28. Searchable Databases as a Journalistic Product / Zara Rahman and Stefan Wehrmeyer, 197
29.Narrating Water Conflict With Data and Interactive Comics / Nelly Luna Amancio, 206
30. Data Journalism Should Focus on People and Stories / Winny de Jong, 211
INVESTIGATING DATA, PLATFORMS AND ALGORITHMS
31. The Algorithms Beat: Angles and Methods for Investigation / Nicholas Diakopoulos, 219
32. Telling Stories With the Social Web / Lam Thuy Vo, 230
33. Digital Forensics: Repurposing Google Analytics IDs / Richard Rogers, 241
34. Apps and Their Affordances for Data Investigations / Esther Weltevrede, 246
35. Algorithms in the Spotlight: Collaborative Investigations at Der Spiegel / Christina Elmer, 257
ORGANIZING DATA JOURNALISM
36. The #ddj Hashtag on Twitter / Eunice Au and Marc Smith, 267
37. Archiving Data Journalism / Meredith Broussard, 274
38. From The Guardian to Google News Lab: A Decade of Working in Data Journalism / Simon Rogers, 279
39. Data Journalism’s Ties With Civic Tech / Stefan Baack, 286
40.Open-Source Coding Practices in Data Journalism / Ryan Pitts and Lindsay Muscato, 291
41. Data Feudalism: How Platforms Shape Cross-border Investigative Networks / Stefan Cândea, 295
42.Data-Driven Editorial? Considerations for Working With Audience Metrics / Caitlin Petre, 299
LEARNING DATA JOURNALISM TOGETHER
43. Data Journalism, Digital Universalism and Innovation in the Periphery / Anita Say Chan, 307
44.The Datafication of Journalism: Strategies for Data-Driven Storytelling and Industry–Academy Collaboration / Damian Radcliffe and Seth C. Lewis, 314
45. Data Journalism by, about and for Marginalized Communities / Eva Constantaras, 331
46. Teaching Data Journalism / Cheryl Phillips, 338
47. Organizing Data Projects With Women and Minorities in Latin America / Eliana A. Vaca Muñoz, 344
SITUATING DATA JOURNALISM
48.Genealogies of Data Journalism / C. W. Anderson, 351
49.Data-Driven Gold Standards: What the Field Values as AwardWorthy Data Journalism / Wiebke Loosen, 360
50. Beyond Clicks and Shares: How and Why to Measure the Impact of Data Journalism Projects / Lindsay Green-Barber, 370
51. Data Journalism: In Whose Interests? / Mary Lynn Young and Candis Callison, 379
52. Data Journalism With Impact / Paul Bradshaw, 388
53. What Is Data Journalism For? Cash, Clicks, and Cut and Trys / Nikki Usher, 397
54.Data Journalism and Digital Liberalism / Dominic Boyer, 405
DOING ISSUES WITH DATA
1. From Coffee to Colonialism: Data Investigations Into How the Poor Feed the Rich / Raúl Sánchez and Ximena Villagrán, 27
2. Repurposing Census Data to Measure Segregation in the United States / Aaron Williams, 31
3. Multiplying Memories while Discovering Trees in Bogotá / María Isabel Magaña, 34
4. Behind the Numbers: Home Demolitions in Occupied East Jerusalem / Mohammed Haddad, 37
5. Mapping Crash Incidents to Advocate for Road Safety in the Philippines / Aika Rey, 41
6. Tracking Worker Deaths in Turkey / Pinar Dag, 44
ASSEMBLING DATA
7. Building Your Own Data Set: Documenting Knife Crime in the United Kingdom / Caelainn Barr, 49
8. Narrating a Number and Staying With the Trouble of Value / Helen Verran, 55
9. Indigenous Data Sovereignty: Implications for Data Journalism / Tahu Kukutai and Maggie Walter, 65
10. Alternative Data Practices in China / Yolanda Jinxin Ma, 74
11. Making a Database to Document Land Conflicts Across India / Kumar Sambhav Shrivastava and Ankur Paliwal, 84
12. Reassembling Public Data in Cuba: Collaborations When Information Is Missing, Outdated or Scarce / Saimi Reyes Carmona, Yudivián Almeida Cruz and Ernesto Guerra, 87
13. Making Data With Readers at La Nación / Flor Coelho, 91
14. Running Surveys for Investigations / Crina-Gabriela Boros, 96
WORKING WITH DATA
15. Data Journalism: What’s Feminism Got to Do With I.T.? / Catherine D’Ignazio, 103
16. Infrastructuring Collaborations Around the Panama and Paradise Papers / Emilia Díaz-Struck, Cécile Schilis-Gallego and Pierre Romera, 109
17. Text as Data: Finding Stories in Text Collections / Barbara Maseda, 116
18. Coding With Data in the Newsroom / Basile Simon, 124
19. Accounting for Methods: Spreadsheets, Scripts and Programming Notebooks / Sam Leon, 128
20. Working Openly in Data Journalism / Natalia Mazotte, 138
21. Making Algorithms Work for Reporting / Jonathan Stray, 143
22. Journalism With Machines? From Computational Thinking to Distributed Cognition / Eddy Borges-Rey, 147
EXPERIENCING DATA
23. Ways of Doing Data Journalism / Sarah Cohen, 157
24.Data Visualizations: Newsroom Trends and Everyday Engagements / Helen Kennedy, William Allen, Martin Engebretsen, Rosemary Lucy Hill, Andy Kirk and Wibke Weber, 162
25. Sketching With Data / Mona Chalabi and Jonathan Gray, 174
26. The Web as Medium for Data Visualization / Elliot Bentley, 182
27. Four Recent Developments in News Graphics / Gregor Aisch and Lisa Charlotte Rost, 193
28. Searchable Databases as a Journalistic Product / Zara Rahman and Stefan Wehrmeyer, 197
29.Narrating Water Conflict With Data and Interactive Comics / Nelly Luna Amancio, 206
30. Data Journalism Should Focus on People and Stories / Winny de Jong, 211
INVESTIGATING DATA, PLATFORMS AND ALGORITHMS
31. The Algorithms Beat: Angles and Methods for Investigation / Nicholas Diakopoulos, 219
32. Telling Stories With the Social Web / Lam Thuy Vo, 230
33. Digital Forensics: Repurposing Google Analytics IDs / Richard Rogers, 241
34. Apps and Their Affordances for Data Investigations / Esther Weltevrede, 246
35. Algorithms in the Spotlight: Collaborative Investigations at Der Spiegel / Christina Elmer, 257
ORGANIZING DATA JOURNALISM
36. The #ddj Hashtag on Twitter / Eunice Au and Marc Smith, 267
37. Archiving Data Journalism / Meredith Broussard, 274
38. From The Guardian to Google News Lab: A Decade of Working in Data Journalism / Simon Rogers, 279
39. Data Journalism’s Ties With Civic Tech / Stefan Baack, 286
40.Open-Source Coding Practices in Data Journalism / Ryan Pitts and Lindsay Muscato, 291
41. Data Feudalism: How Platforms Shape Cross-border Investigative Networks / Stefan Cândea, 295
42.Data-Driven Editorial? Considerations for Working With Audience Metrics / Caitlin Petre, 299
LEARNING DATA JOURNALISM TOGETHER
43. Data Journalism, Digital Universalism and Innovation in the Periphery / Anita Say Chan, 307
44.The Datafication of Journalism: Strategies for Data-Driven Storytelling and Industry–Academy Collaboration / Damian Radcliffe and Seth C. Lewis, 314
45. Data Journalism by, about and for Marginalized Communities / Eva Constantaras, 331
46. Teaching Data Journalism / Cheryl Phillips, 338
47. Organizing Data Projects With Women and Minorities in Latin America / Eliana A. Vaca Muñoz, 344
SITUATING DATA JOURNALISM
48.Genealogies of Data Journalism / C. W. Anderson, 351
49.Data-Driven Gold Standards: What the Field Values as AwardWorthy Data Journalism / Wiebke Loosen, 360
50. Beyond Clicks and Shares: How and Why to Measure the Impact of Data Journalism Projects / Lindsay Green-Barber, 370
51. Data Journalism: In Whose Interests? / Mary Lynn Young and Candis Callison, 379
52. Data Journalism With Impact / Paul Bradshaw, 388
53. What Is Data Journalism For? Cash, Clicks, and Cut and Trys / Nikki Usher, 397
54.Data Journalism and Digital Liberalism / Dominic Boyer, 405
