We all know that data are all around us—from the apps that track our every movement, to education, criminal justice, health care and beyond. But data can be misleading, misrepresented, and even wrong. Where should you go to find data and how do you make sure it says what you think it does? In this October 19 workshop, Jonah Newman outlined where to look for data, how to bulletproof it, and how to use it effectively and responsively to tell compelling stories.
Jonah Newman is a Chicago-based data and investigative reporter. Most recently, he was the senior editor for data and investigations at Pacific Standard magazine. Before that he was a reporter at the Chicago Reporter, where he used data to tell stories about policing and criminal justice in Chicago and Cook County. He grew up in Minnesota and graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in journalism in 2012.
Why are Data Important?
Cleaning Data
Analyzing Data
Pitfalls
Resources for Acquiring Data
Data repositories
"The Totally Incomplete Guide to Finding and Publishing Data" (Amanda Hickman, UC Berkeley Professor):
A great guide that walks you through not only some good places to find data, but also how to think about looking for data for a story.
Where To Find Data Wiki (Amanda Hickman)
This is a broad-strokes list of sources for data on different topics/beats. Definitely not comprehensive, but a good starting point for inspiration.
Some Cool Datasets (Lindsey Cook, NYT Digital Transition Team)
Similar to above, a list of data sources organized by topic/beat.
Reporting Repository (Andrew Rodriguez Calderon, The Marshall Project)
List of all kinds of databases, as well as other reporting tools.