Data journalism made easy

Data services on the web lower the threshold to data journalism. No tinkering with statistics in Excel or maps in Google FT. Just upload your data push a button and there are the graphs and maps, either as an embed link, pdf of jpg.

I looked into one of those services: datawrapper . The prices are quite reasonable; for 12 Euro a month you are in business. However datawrapper is also open source. you can clone it from Github and install it.

Data journalism training at Maputo Mozambique Oct 2015

Training organized by Centro de Estudos Inter-Disciplinares de Comunicacao(CEC)

What's the deal with data journalism? (Guest Story)

Data journalism is not a new concept. It is however, still a daunting one for many. Operating high-tech systems, coding, and number crunching aren’t skills you’d find on a traditional journalist’s CV. But according to experts, if journalists want to stay relevant they should be looking seriously toward the digital world of data.

By Remy Raitt

“To find a job as a journalist is extremely difficult; lots of journalists have been laid off and are unemployed,” says former Utrecht University journalism, politics and new media lecturer and owner of D3-Media, Peter Verweij. “A strong position in the market comes with multi-media skills and/or data skills; being a fine writer is not enough.”

Published: http://www.mediaupdate.co.za/media/82921/whats-the-deal-with-data-journalism

speedtest

Speedtest on 5Ghz wireless


Jail breaking Samsung Galaxy S5

Windows10

I am not a fan of Windows, updated to Windows10 yesterday. It is not Linux, but Windows10 works smoothly and you can find your programs with the start button.

Are Coders Taking Over

(This article is an edited version of the speech given at the Josh Friedman price ceremony at GIPA, Tbilisi, Georgia, June 9 2015; published at Memeburn  http://memeburn.com/2015/06/has-coding-become-journalisms-most-important-skill/)

Journalism will never be as before. The rise of internet not only changed the business model for media but also the content. Data is the new content. Of course journalism is still about storytelling, but it is changing fast in another direction. Drones- drone journalism- are now almost an accepted tool for reporting. Computers could be instructed to write basic stories: robot journalism. Take for example a story from NY Times Upshot about the best and worst places to grow up in the US and notice how the text changes according to the data selected. 

The latest development is sensor journalism. Buy an Arduino board and a few sensors, write a program for the processor and you are in business. An interesting example is the air quality in San Diego, where students of the University measured the air pollution in different parts of the city. Access to water points in Tanzania or water pollution in streams and dams used as potable water in South Africa are other interesting try outs.  It is undeniable that the influence of technology on journalism especially IT and coding is growing. Where is data journalism going?

Wordt datajournalistiek een soort van ‘invuljournalistiek’?

Het lijkt tegenwoordig steeds makkelijker te worden om aan datajournalistiek. Je gooit wat cijfers in een webdienst als Datawrapper of LocalFocus en rolt vanzelf een mooie visualisatie uit. Betekent dit dat datajournalistiek een simpele invuloefening wordt voor elke journalist?
Alhoewel datajournalistiek al meer dan 50 jaar oud is begint zij nu pas aan een grote vlucht. Met regelmaat publiceren de media resultaten van analyse van cijfers, meestal voorzien van schitterende visualisaties. De lintjesregen, de beste gemeente van Nederland, sterftecijfers van ziekenhuizen, inbraken, verkeersongelukken, verkiezingsuitslagen en natuurlijk vluchtelingen/asielzoekers, alles wordt gekwantificeerd en de conclusies zijn nieuws.

Gepubliceerd op De Nieuwe Reporter