From data to a news story: ODC hosts workshop about data-driven journalism
Data is everywhere! Since the rise of the Internet the amount of data has exploded significantly. Everything we see online is - after all - digital data. Knowing this, it is no surprise that not only data scientists, bankers and scholars make use of this vast resource but also journalists who use data to find and substantiate their news stories. However, the work with data is not always easy for journalists, especially not when they are not familiar with data analysis yet. That is why Open Development Cambodia (ODC), in cooperation with Cambodian Center for Independent Media (CCIM), hosted a two-day workshop for journalists and journalism students to train them in data-driven journalism. To provide the trainees with the best possible training, some distinguished experts were invited to share their knowledge with the participants.
Welcome to the basics of data-driven journalism
First, the participants had to get an idea of what data-driven journalism actually means. Since definitions like “Data journalism is the practice of finding stories in numbers and using numbers to tell stories” (Meredith Broussard), are not always easy to understand, the participants first got the chance to read some best-practice examples of data-driven journalism. For the interested readers of this blogpost we provided a list of insightful examples at the end of this article. The data-driven stories were supposed to inspire the group to work on their own project throughout the two days. Every step of the writing process was supported by a theoretical introduction which the participants could then use to progress their own story.
One of the first steps on the way to a data-driven story is to find the right data for the story. ODC’s media and communication intern Mr. Lennart Krotzek demonstrated how and where to find data while Ms. Sotheavin Doch, research and partnership officer at ODC, guided the participants though ODC’s own online data hub - one of the best data resources for Cambodia. Next, the journalists and students became familiar with data analysis using the software SPSS. But of course, only the analysis of data is not enough for future data journalists: one of the most important aspects of data-driven journalism is the presentation of the data, in other words: data visualization. After a general introduction to data visualization and some important tools, participants had the opportunity to work on their own data visualizations. At the end, some participants proudly presented their news stories which represented a multitude of topics, from education and water supply to Cambodia’s economic growth.
Every participant received a certificate after the workshop which proves their newly gained knowledge and skills about data-driven journalism. Most participants are sure that they will be able to use these skills in their future career and claimed that the two days motivated them to continue their work on data-driven journalism. This workshop is an important element of journalists’ qualification process in times in which data become ever more important in all aspects of life or as one participants summarizes: “I think this workshop is very beneficial to our society in that it can help more readers to better understand the situation in the country by reading data-driven journalism news articles.”
Good news for those who missed the first workshop on data-driven journalism: On May 24th and 25th there will be another workshop about data-driven journalism hosted by Open Development Cambodia and Cambodian Center for Independent Media! The workshop is free of charge and takes place in Phnom Penh. If you are interested please register here: https://bit.ly/2vLphqK
Links of example of Data-driven journalism:
Roger Federer – A career in data
The Panama papers and power players
Why are eggs differently shaped?
