Data Analysis and Visualization for Journalism

This course is taught in both Chicago and San Francisco.

The course introduces students to the basics of data journalism in a busy newsroom, showcasing the importance of telling a story and how tools can help you do it.

Data journalism is about using numbers to tell the best story possible. It is not about math, or drawing charts, or even writing code. It is about telling stories first and foremost–the math and the charts and the code are all in service to that. 

The techniques of data journalism change all the time but they are marked by an abundance of increasingly more accessible tools that allow sophisticated manipulation and analysis of data. The emphasis of this course is on practical skills and the latest developments in data journalism–working with designers and using free charting tools, sourcing and mapping data. 

The focus will be less on tools and apps than on how to be a data journalist. How do you generate story ideas? How do you sell them to a news editor? What makes a great data journalist? You will learn how to generate story ideas and think about how to turn them into a great data journalism project.