Data-Driven Journalism Resources for students who enrolled in the Knight Center MOOC on Data-Driven Journalism: The Basics held September 2013

1. MOOC: Data-Driven Journalism | September 2013
Recommended Resources and Links about Data-Driven Journalism
By Amy Schmitz Weiss, Lise Olsen, Derek Willis, Jeremy Bowers and Sisi Wei
© Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas MOOC, 2013 1
Amy Schmitz Weiss’ Toolbox:
• Great resources of additional how-tos with data-driven journalism:
http://datadrivenjournalism.net/resources
• Understanding Data Journalism – Overview
http://journalistsresource.org/skills/reporting/understanding-data-journalism-overview-tools-topics
• Lessons from the School of Data Journalism:
http://www.pbs.org/idealab/2013/05/lessons-from-the-school-of-data-journalism-125
• How to be a data journalist:
http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2010/oct/01/data-journalism-how-to-guide
• Data Journalism Handbook:
http://datajournalismhandbook.org/
• Inspirational data journalism projects:
http://www.journalism.co.uk/news/-editors13-13-data-journalism-projects-big-and-
small/s2/a553134/
• Information is Beautiful: http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/
• Data-Driven Journalism Resources by MOOC Student Dan Turner:
https://datajmoocreading.hackpad.com/ep/group/nomTZ1zdHPU
• Data science, commoditized backends, and the need to know code: A roundup of NICAR
2013: http://www.niemanlab.org/2013/03/data-science-commoditized-backends-and-the-need-to-
know-code-a-roundup-of-nicar-2013/
• Mailing list for Data Driven Journalism site and resources:
http://datadrivenjournalism.net/mailinglist
Data Journalists to Follow on Twitter:
@sisiwei
@chrondigger
@derekwillis
@jbowers
@brianboyer
@amandacox
@viegasf
@michelleminkoff
@stiles
@ryanmark
@smfrogers
@martinbelam
@nicolaskb
@adrianholovaty
@martinstabe

2. MOOC: Data-Driven Journalism | September 2013
Recommended Resources and Links about Data-Driven Journalism
By Amy Schmitz Weiss, Lise Olsen, Derek Willis, Jeremy Bowers and Sisi Wei
© Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas MOOC, 2013 2
Lise Olsen’s Toolbox:
• For story ideas and inspiration, check out the winners of this year’s Data Journalism awards
http://www.globaleditorsnetwork.org/dja/
• International Consortium of Investigative Journalists – story ideas, links and how-tos and a
new offshore banking database: http://www.icij.org/
• IRE’s Resource center and Database library: http://www.ire.org/
• 2012 IRE award winners with links to stories: http://www.ire.org/awards/ire-
awards/winners/2012-ire-award-winners/
• Instituto de Prensa y Sociedad – IPYS has an archive like IRE’s and does a great conference
in Latin America called COLPIN: http://www.ipys.org/
A few of Lise’s favorite places to find data:
• Search systems public records directory:
http://publicrecords.searchsystems.net/United_States_Free_Public_Records_by_State/
• Google’s Public Data Directory: http://www.google.com/publicdata/directory
• International Census data links:
http://www.census.gov/population/international/links/stat_int.html
• Links to public records via the London Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/data
• Advanced Google search window here: http://www.google.com/advanced_search
Try searching within certain domains and by file type.
• United Nations databases: http://data.un.org
Lise Olsen’s tips for networking and tutorials:
• Tweeting data journalists: https://twitter.com/marshallk/datajournalists/members
• NICAR: Data, training and a list of people who can help with data-driven journalism
(see NICAR-L): http://www.ire.org/resource-center/listservs/subscribe-nicar-l/
• Global-L: https://po.missouri.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=GLOBAL-L
• Online News Association: http://journalists.org/
• Knight Center for journalism in the Americas Webinars – like this one in Portuguese
https://knightcenter.utexas.edu/blog/00-14398-knight-center-and-anj-offer-course-brazilian-
journalists-introduction-data-journalism
• International Center for Journalists has many tools and tutorials and information about
funding and fellowships: http://www.icfj.org/
• ABRAJI in Brazil – great Brazilian investigative reporting organization, leaders in data
journalism and hosts of this year’s global conference in Rio de Janeiro
http://www.abraji.org.br/
• The Global Investigative Journalism Network offers resources and links to many other
organizations that promote investigative journalism and datajournalism worldwide.
http://gijn.org/member/
• Data journalism links: http://gijn.org/resources/data-journalism/

3. MOOC: Data-Driven Journalism | September 2013
Recommended Resources and Links about Data-Driven Journalism
By Amy Schmitz Weiss, Lise Olsen, Derek Willis, Jeremy Bowers and Sisi Wei
© Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas MOOC, 2013 3
Lise Olsen’s tips for tutorials/basic mapping and data viz sites:
• Google Mymap video is only two minutes long and teaches how to make a map and embed
photos or videos https://support.google.com/maps/answer/62843?hl=en
• Many Eyes – site with easy-to-try interactives
http://www-958.ibm.com/software/data/cognos/manyeyes/page/create_visualization.html
• Worldle – make graphics out of speeches, text. http://www.wordle.net/
• Document Cloud (text analysis and storage tool): https://www.documentcloud.org/home
• If you know how to use spreadsheets: Use Batchgeo to map dozens or hundreds of addresses
by copying and pasting and hitting a button: http://www.batchgeo.com
• Google Fusion tables to create relationship tables or maps:
https://developers.google.com/fusiontables/
• More top tools in the Data Journalism Handbook:
http://datajournalismhandbook.org/1.0/en/delivering_data_7.html
• Knight Digital Media Center tutorials: http://multimedia.journalism.berkeley.edu/tutorials/

4. MOOC: Data-Driven Journalism | September 2013
Recommended Resources and Links about Data-Driven Journalism
By Amy Schmitz Weiss, Lise Olsen, Derek Willis, Jeremy Bowers and Sisi Wei
© Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas MOOC, 2013 4
Derek Willis’ Toolbox:
• Drawing Conclusions from Data: http://source.mozillaopennews.org/en-US/learning/statistically-
sound-data-journalism/
• How to not screw up your data: http://veltman.tumblr.com/post/44638298912/how-to-not-screw-
up-your-data
• We must understand our news content as data: http://michelleminkoff.com/2010/10/16/we-must-
understand-our-news-content-as-data/
• The Bastards Book of Ruby: http://ruby.bastardsbook.com/
• Learning to think like a programmer: http://infovore.org/archives/2009/01/22/learning-to-think-
like-a-programmer/
• Statistics help for journalists: http://nilesonline.com/stats/
• A Guide to Computer-Assisted Reporting:
http://www.poynter.org/uncategorized/69334/a-guide-to-computer-assisted-reporting/
• Excel Sorting & Filtering:
http://ire.org/media/uploads/car2013_tipsheets/excel_1_tipsheet.pdf
• A Guide to Bulletproofing Your Data: https://github.com/propublica/guides/blob/master/data-
bulletproofing.md
• Basic Excel Tutorial, Part I: http://www.forjournalists.com/media/BasicExcel1.pdf
• Basic Excel Tutorial, Part II: http://www.forjournalists.com/media/BasicExcel2.pdf
• Quickly visualize and map a data set using Google Fusion Tables:
http://blog.apps.chicagotribune.com/2010/03/04/quickly-visualize-and-map-a-data-set-using-
google-fusion-tables/
• Open Refine: https://github.com/OpenRefine/OpenRefine/wiki
• Open Refine Tutorial: http://dannguyen.github.io/NICAR-Google-Refine/

5. MOOC: Data-Driven Journalism | September 2013
Recommended Resources and Links about Data-Driven Journalism
By Amy Schmitz Weiss, Lise Olsen, Derek Willis, Jeremy Bowers and Sisi Wei
© Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas MOOC, 2013 5
Jeremy Bower’s Toolbox:
When things go wrong: Sometimes, your news app hits a snag and needs to be corrected. There are
practices in place for correcting a story or a blog post; what should we do with our news applications? Jacob
Harris explains: http://source.mozillaopennews.org/en-US/learning/times-regrets-programmer-error/
End of life: Even successful news applications don't necessarily live forever. What should you do when your
news application or visualization is out of date? Matt Waite starts the
discussion: http://source.mozillaopennews.org/en-US/learning/kill-all-your-darlings/
Sane data updates are harder than you think: News applications progenitor and all-around smart guy
Adrian Holovaty walks you through the process of how to handle continuously updating data for your news
application. Hint: It's harder than you think.
• Part 1: http://source.mozillaopennews.org/learning/sane-data-updates-are-harder-you-think-part-3/
• Part 2: http://source.mozillaopennews.org/learning/sane-data-updates-are-harder-you-think-part-2/
• Part 3: http://source.mozillaopennews.org/learning/sane-data-updates-are-harder-you-think/
In defense of building tools: Week 3 instructor Derek Willis writes about the other kind of news application
-- the kind that is made for a specific purpose, like a tool. Not every app has to be journalism-focused;
sometimes, we build to enable journalism rather than to be
journalism. http://thescoop.org/archives/2011/08/10/in-defense-of-building-tools/

6. MOOC: Data-Driven Journalism | September 2013
Recommended Resources and Links about Data-Driven Journalism
By Amy Schmitz Weiss, Lise Olsen, Derek Willis, Jeremy Bowers and Sisi Wei
© Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas MOOC, 2013 6
Sisi Wei’s Toolbox:
Books:
• The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, Edward Tufte
• The Wall Street Journal Guide to Information Graphics, Dona Wong
• The Functional Art, Alberto Cairo
• Visualize This, Nathan Yau
Additional Readings and Tutorials:
• Minard’s Sources, Edward Tufte
• Debunking third-world myths with the best stats you've ever seen, Hans Rosling:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RUwS1uAdUcI
• Making of Mariano Rivera’s Pitches, Xaquín G.V.
• Mapping Social Statistics: Race and Ethnicity in Chicago, Bill Rankin:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=8pRcdMVkA3k
• Race and ethnicity dot maps for cities all over the United States, based on the U.S. Census
• Better Census Maps with Dot Density, The Why Axis
• Good Design is Invisible, Reduce to the Essence, Tom Milway
• Losing the Plot, John Grimwade
A Few Tutorials
• How to Make a Graph in Adobe Illustrator, Nathan Yau
• How to Analyse Datasets with Tableau Public, Data Driven Journalism
• How to make searchable, Web-based Google Charts, Michelle Minkoff
• Cindy Royal’s beginner Highcharts handout
• D3.js crash course, Espen Harlinn
• A great and thorough introduction to Fusion Tables at Google I/O 2011:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Z2o0mtnF1Bg
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