Paul Bradshaw: What is data journalism?

Video presentation by Paul Bradshaw, Birmingham City University.

Data journalism isn’t just about spreadsheets and interactives: in this video from my MA Data Journalism classes at Birmingham City University I look at why the news industry has expanded its focus on data journalism over the past decade, and how thinking about definitions of data journalism can help reporters think more broadly about potential stories and subjects beyond official statistics.

I also look at related terms such as computational journalism, robot journalism and augmented journalism — and what we can learn from those definitions as practitioners. 

The Economist using QGIS

In The Economist e-newsletter 'Off The Charts', about data and visualization,  data journalist Elizabeth Lees, writes about mapping and the use of QGIS, the open source mapping software. How we make maps at The Economist

Since 2016, The Economist has used a geographic information system (GIS) to create most of the maps it publishes in print and online. GIS is a mapping tool that allows us to visualise and manage spatial data quickly and accurately. That is crucial for articles that may have a quick turnaround, such as our Daily charts or Explainers. GIS also allows us to discover and analyse geographical patterns and relationships. To create the dozen or so maps published each week, we source GIS maps and data, which we then load into QGIS—our preferred mapping software.