J298 Data Journalism

Students in this course will be expected to become familiar with the use of data in order to produce stories with impact, authority and distinction. Data — large sets of information and numbers — are becoming increasingly available from public, private and social media sources. As a result, journalism organizations are looking to make use of this rich pool of information — and to hire those who are able to do so. Fundamentally, you will leave this course with a data mindset — a skill that will help you in journalism and maybe even in life.

Students in this course will be introduced to the concept of data driven journalism. They will explore ways to obtain data, use tools to analyze it and learn how to deploy it in their work. They will be introduced to basic concepts in downloading data, making public record requests for electronic data, using optical character recognition scanning, and hand building data sets. They will learn a basic command of spreadsheets and will be introduced to database and statistical tools and concepts.

Most importantly, students will develop a data mindset. Data analysis is not simply a skill for reporting, it is a way of seeing the world. They will be expected to leave this course with tools they can apply to journalism and to everyday life.