Storytelling with Data: A Resource Guide for Data Journalism

We swim in a world of data — from election results, budgets, and census reports, to
Facebook updates and image uploads. Journalists in the 21st century need to know how to find stories in data and craft them in compelling ways. More and more, reports suggest that data journalism is the future, and that journalists who cannot find and analyze complex datasets will find themselves left behind by this brave new world of media practice. Data journalism, which combines the traditional “nose for news” and the ability to tell a
compelling story with digital information now abundantly available, allows news
organizations to find unique ways to tell appealing stories that attract wide audiences while performing their watchdog role and informing us all about the important issues of the day.

This project serves as a centralized place where journalism students learn basics of data journalism, from locating data sources and understanding data to visualizing and
displaying data. Students in journalism programs nationwide and journalist practitioners can use this resource to get started with data journalism, or sharpen their knowledge of data journalism. In the long run, this resource will prepare next-generation journalists, equipping them with the ability to analyze complex data, tell powerful stories, and
effectively communicate these stories to various audiences.

This project is supported by the American Library Association’s (ALA) Carnegie-Whitney Grant.