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DEI and Data Journalism

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DEI and Data Journalism

Feb. 21, 2023

Mike Reilley
Feb 21
5
Share this post

DEI and Data Journalism

journaliststoolbox.substack.com

Samantha Sunne and I co-authored a textbook, “Data + Journalism” that’s available now on Routledge. (Order here). It’s an introductory to intermediate-level guide to learning data storytelling from A to Z.

One of the things we learned when writing the book was that few textbooks do a good job of addressing diversity, equity and inclusion in data journalism. It’s been a mission of many journalism organizations to improve this. For example, IRE has done a DEI conference the past couple of years.

So we weaved DEI into the fabric of a few chapters of our book, primarily in Chapter 11, where we also teased a link to a free “bonus chapter” that Sunne posted to our blog when the book launched in early January.

Sunne wrote about case studies, expert sources and offered tips by experts such as Neema Roshania Patel, editor of The Washington Post’s Next Generation team. Patel wrote a terrific set of five framing questions in this Poynter post:

  1. Are we including the voices of the people most affected by what’s happening?

  2. How are we defining “experts” in this story?

  3. Are we engaging with a diverse range of sources, even when the story isn’t explicitly about marginalized groups?

  4. Are we making assumptions about our readers?

  5. How are we explaining our process to sources?

The OpenNews News Nerd Survey

This free chapter should be required reading in newsrooms along with any journalism reporting class. Take the time to read it and share it!


Around the Web

  • ToolboxFinder.xyz

    Claims to be the “wikipedia for productivity tools.” Curated by Keep Productive.

  • Alternative.to
    Look for some free software that can perform the same or similar tasks to a paid software such as Photoshop? Just type in the name of the software and you get free alternatives, including descriptions and reviews.

  • U.S. DOT Volpe Center: Aviation Safety Experts
    A treasure trove of experts who can help with stories on/off the record. Helpful lately with all of the near-misses on runways at major airports.


In Quotes …

“Journalism is what maintains democracy. It's the force for progressive social change.” -- Andrew Vachss, crime and fiction author

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DEI and Data Journalism

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