Overview

The definitive guide to using data and technology in reporting, this text teaches students how to combine data analysis with traditional reporting to create compelling stories. Through coverage of theory, practical examples, online tutorials, and celebrated stories from around the world, this text demonstrates the tools and principles of data-driven journalism.

Full Product Details

Author:   Fred Vallance-Jones (Associate Professor, Associate Professor, University of King's College) ,  David McKie (Instructor, School of Journalism and Communication, Instructor, School of Journalism and Communication, Carleton University)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press, Canada
Imprint:   Oxford University Press, Canada
Dimensions:   Width: 15.40cm , Height: 1.50cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.378kg
ISBN:  

9780199020065

ISBN 10:   019902006
Pages:   320
Publication Date:   27 October 2016
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order  
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.

Table of Contents

"Note: Chapters include: - Bulleted ""What you will learn"" list - Introduction - General text boxes - Tutorial boxes (linking to online content) - Study questions and exercises PART I: INTRODUCTION 1. Introduction The Origins of Data Journalism Technology: The Tools of Data and How Journalists Use Them 2. Online and Open Data What You Will Learn Principles The History of Open Government and Open Data What Kind of Data Can You Get? - Chicago's Crime Database - Toronto Payment Card Data - Road Accidents in the United Kingdom - Vancouver Food Vendors - Mine Accidents Data Quality Concerns Steps to Take When Working with Any Dataset Study Questions and Exercises 3. When Data Is Not Conveniently Available What You Will Learn Informing Yourself Asking Negotiating for Data Demanding Making an Effective Request for Data After You Make the Request The Answer 4. Spreadsheets: The Basic Tool What You Will Learn So What Exactly Is a Spreadsheet? Fundamentals of Spreadsheets How Journalists Use Spreadsheets Getting Data into a Spreadsheet Getting to Work Sorting and Simple Analysis Filtering Doing the Math - Functions Big and Small - Calculating Percentages - Calculating Rates Dealing with Errors Working with Dates Concatenation Summarizing Information with Pivot Tables Logical Functions and IF Statements Using Paste Special to Convert Formulas to Values Chronologies Conclusion 5. Working with Databases What You Will Learn Working with a Database Building Relationships Database Programs Making Tables and Adding Data The Main Course: Querying your Data - The Language of Queries - Writing Math Queries - The GROUP BY Clause - The HAVING Clause - Aliases - Joining Tables - Some Notes about Joining More Advanced Queries - Outer Joins - Union Queries - Subqueries - Using Calculated Fields and String Functions - Creating Views (MySQL) - Improving Query Performances by Adding Indexes - Queries to Alter your Data - Exporting Query Results Building your own Database Some Final Thoughts 6. Introduction to Maps in Journalism What You Will Learn Maps Are Not Reality, but Representations of Reality Web Mapping Services Getting your Data onto a Web Map Data Not Already in a Map Format Your Data Is Ready; How To Use It? What Kinds of Maps Can You Make? - Boundary Maps Some Important Design Principles - A Choice of Styles - Choosing Appropriate Colours - Setting Breakpoints Conclusion 7. Working with GIS Programs What You Will Learn The Inside Story Ellipsoids and Datums: Modelling the World Projections How Datums and Projections are Incorporated in a GIS Basics of a GIS How Spatial Data Is Structured - Metadata - Geometrics - Attributes - Working with Layers How Journalists Use GIS Programs - Joining Non-Geographic Data with Geographic Data - Selecting Features that Meet Certain Criteria - Buffering - Joining Data Based on Geographical Location - Making a Chloropleth Map - Geocoding Common Problems and Solutions - Projecting and Re-Projecting a Map Layer - Converting File Formats - Simplifying Polygons - Combining Layers into a Single Layer - Combining Features within a Single Layer Special Considerations Relative to Coordinate Systems - Using a Map Layer that has Only a Geographic Coordinate System - Using Maps Based on Different Geographic Coordinate Systems - Using an Inappropriate Projected Coordinate System Conclusion Recommended Further Reading 8. Visualizing Data What You Will Learn A History of Visualization: From William Playfair to the Present Day Choosing the Right Chart - The Pie Chart - A Bar Chart - The Line Chart How Journalists Use ""Data Viz"" Tools - One Producer's View Conclusion PART II: ADVANCED TOPICS 9. Web Scraping What You Will Learn The Underpinnings of Scraping Options for Scraping First Steps, Thinking through your Scrape Coding Basics Getting Ready to Code - Fetching the Page - Scraping More than One Page - More Complicated Scrapes The Ethics of Web Scraping APIs Conclusion Additional Resources 10. Web Development What You Will Learn State of Developers in Newsrooms Core Languages Used by Newsroom Developers: An Introduction to the Work Environment - The Server-Side: Writing for your Own Machine - The Client-Side: Writing for Everyone Else's Machine Case Study: Using freeDive Working with JavaScript Libraries such as jQuery and D3 Conclusion Additional Reading 11. Incorporating Data Journalism into Traditional Reporting What You Will Learn Why Data is Just the Beginning Finding Outliers that Lead to Human Stories Testing your Data in the Real World Connecting Data Patterns with Real-Life Patterns Building Powerful Interviews and Writing the Story Conclusion Glossary Notes Credits Index"

Reviews

This textbook will raise the educational bar for data journalism. . . . This is an important and essential addition to the rapidly expanding academic field of data journalism. I would highly recommend that this be a core text for all journalism programs. --Jeffrey A. Dvorkin, University of Toronto The authors are magnificent. --Ellen Russell, Wilfrid Laurier University The step-by-step instruction and sample datasets will be a great starting point for students to delve into data journalism. . . . More journalists need to be data savvy, and this textbook offers examples and steps to get there. --Cheryl Vallender, Sheridan College

This textbook will raise the educational bar for data journalism. . . . This is an important and essential addition to the rapidly expanding academic field of data journalism. I would highly recommend that this be a core text for all journalism programs. --Jeffrey A. Dvorkin, University of Toronto The authors are magnificent. --Ellen Russell, Wilfrid Laurier University The step-by-step instruction and sample datasets will be a great starting point for students to delve into data journalism. . . . More journalists need to be data savvy, and this textbook offers examples and steps to get there. --Cheryl Vallender, Sheridan College

Author Information

Fred Vallance-Jones is an award-winning journalist and an associate professor at the University of King's College. He teaches journalism research and data and investigative journalism at the masters and undergraduate levels, and continues to lead students in large data-driven investigative projects. He leads an annual data journalism summer school at King's that attracts working journalists from across Canada, and has been teaching data journalism at journalism conferences for many years. As well as co-authoring Computer Assisted Reporting: A Comprehensive Primer he is co-author of Oxford's Digging Deeper: A Canadian Reporter's Research Guide. David McKie is an award-winning journalist, journalism professor, and author. He has been on staff with the CBC for 20 years, and teaches two courses in research methods and data journalism at Carleton University. He designed and teaches similar courses at Algonquin College and the University of King's College. Throughout his 20-year teaching career, David has been one of the country's leading advocates of the need to teach data journalism skills to students. He is co-author of Computer Assisted Reporting: A Comprehensive Primer and Digging Deeper: A Canadian Reporter's Research Guide.

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