(Open) data journalism

Burcu BaykurtColumbia University

Twitter: @burcubaykurt

What’s news?

What’s news?

2013 State of the News Media

Has anyone heard of Nate Silver?

Has anyone heard of Nate Silver?

For data journalism, you need data.

Open data needs open journalism

Open data needs open journalism

• The case of “Reading the Riots”

– Reporting events: track and map out

– Giving context: provide bigger data, new sources, different perspectives

– Investigate: collaborate with the experts, analyze all the data you have

Flexing different muscles in journalism

• Four rules of data journalism from the NYT

– Provide context

– Describe processes

– Reveal patterns

– Explain geography

“80% perspiration, 10% great idea, 10% output”

Good design matters

It is still storytelling

“The only thing I have wanted to do in my life – and the only thing I have done somewhat well – is telling stories.. For me, stories are like toys, and making them up is, one way or another, like a game”

Gabriel García Márquez