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Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide.

Print Price: $94.99

Format:
Paperback
320 pp.
65 Photos, 5 figures, 5 tables, 2 Maps, 6" x 9"

ISBN-13:
9780199020065

Copyright Year:
2017

Imprint: OUP Canada


The Data Journalist

Getting the Story

Fred Vallance-Jones and David McKie

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.

Readership : Data Journalism courses are found at the second- and third-year levels in journalism programs at universities and colleges. The Data Journalist: Getting the Story will also appeal to professional journalists.

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

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

Student Resources:
Downloadable PDF tutorials
Video tutorials
Student exercises
Downloadable data sets from in-text case studies
Links to additional resources
E-Book (ISBN 9780199020089)

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.

Making Sense - Margot Northey and Joan McKibbin
Digging Deeper - Robert Cribb, Dean Jobb, David McKie and Fred Vallance-Jones
Computer-Assisted Reporting - Fred Vallance-Jones and David McKie
Principles of Convergent Journalism - Jeffrey S. Wilkinson, August E. Grant and Douglas J. Fisher
Watchdog Journalism - Stephen J. Berry
Investigative Reporting in Canada - Dr. Maxine Ruvinsky

Special Features

  • Authored by award-winning Canadian journalists, Fred Vallance-Jones and David McKie.
  • Balance of theoretical and practical coverage from the history and ideas behind data journalism to the programs and tools used in the field.
  • The most recent techniques and technology - including Google Fusion Tables, ArcMap, and Ruby on Rails - give students a completely up-to-date look at the practical needs of the industry.
  • Boxed features in each chapter guide students through step-by-step instructions on the functions of the programs discussed in the text.
  • Online tutorials provide practical lessons on how to use various programs to complete real-life assignments in the field of journalism.