Published at Memeburn: http://memeburn.com/2012/03/data-journalism-where-coders-and-journos-meet/
How do you make sense of a growing data pile spit out by the internet? The number of journalists who can analyse and write stories based on this data is still relatively small.
At a time when large numbers of journalists are being laid off — because print newspapers are closing or decreasing the number of editors –, however, data journalism is becoming a great way to get value out of journalistic work.
Newspapers are also exploring it, and data journalism could potentially attract more readers to print or online editions. In Europe, The Guardian’s data page is an example of how well the form can be pulled off.
The growing interest in data journalism is reflected by reports from the National Institute for Computer Assisted Reporting (NICAR) conference held in February 2012 in St Louis, USA. NICAR, a branch of an organisation called Investigative Reporter and Editors (IRE), is the focal point of data journalism in the USA.
According to reports about the NICAR conference the atmosphere was vibrant. Alex Howard wrote: “At NICAR 2012, you could literally see the code underpinning the future of journalism written — or at least projected — on the walls”.
“The energy level was incredible,” said David Herzog, associate professor for print and digital news at the Missouri School of Journalism, in an email interview after NICAR. “I didn’t see participants wringing their hands and worrying about the future of journalism. They’re too busy building it.”
