3Ws of Data Journalism Education

Abstract

This paper explores data journalism education, with a particular focus on formal training in the higher education sector globally. The study draws on data from: (1) The 2017 Global Data Journalism Survey, to study the state of data journalism education and the requirements in terms of training and (2) A dataset of 219 unique modules or programmes on data journalism or related fields that were curated and examined in order to understand the nature of data journalism education in universities across the world. The results show that while journalists interested in data are highly educated in journalism or closely related fields, they do not have a strong level of education in the more technical areas of data journalism, such as data analysis, coding and data visualisation. The study further reveals that a high proportion of data journalism courses are concentrated in the US, with a growing number of courses developing across the world, and particularly in Europe. Despite this, education in the field does not have a strong academic underpinning, and while many courses are emerging in this area, there are not enough academically trained instructors to lead and/or teach such interdisciplinary programmes in the higher education sector.

Defining and Teaching Data Journalism: A Typology

“…Data journalism definitions may be vague and overarching, yet practitioners and scholars have emphasized the field is distinguished by its journalistic purpose (Heravi, 2019;Splendore et al, 2016). While at The Guardian, Simon Rogers described the field as "using data to tell stories in the best possible way, combining the best techniques of journalism" (Rogers, 2016, para.…”

“…The second-largest country was the United Kingdom, with 12, followed by Canada (8), Netherlands 7, and Ireland (6). Although 23 countries were represented in the data set, 89% of the courses were offered in North America or Europe, and 80% were in English-speaking countries (Heravi, 2019).…”

Teaching Data Journalism: Insights for Indian Journalism Education

“…Small-cohorts are better for imparting data journalism skills (Hannis, 2018; Heravi, 2019; Hewett, 2016; Splendore et al, 2016). Similarly, project-based teaching of data journalism is a commonly followed approach (Graham, 2015; Green, 2018; Hannis, 2018).…”

“…Similarly, other scholars point out the need to involve stakeholders while bringing reforms to journalism education (Picard, 2015), considering the larger context in which journalism training is situated (Cohen, 2002). The literature on teaching data journalism, as of now, considers industry professionals as potential students for the academia, trying to understand their ‘customer’ needs (Heravi, 2019).…”

Interdisciplinary Collaboration Between Veterinary and Communication Students to Promote Communication Skills: A Qualitative Pilot Study

“…This implies being able to disseminate topics as specific as those derived from science and research (7). Furthermore, journalists have a direct impact on the opinion of a broad audience and even on decision making, so it is of utmost importance that they know how to accurately and reliably convey news of any origin to the public (8). Therefore, they should have an opportunity to practice the art of interview and preparation of articles about scientific advancement, health, or well-being, among others, during their studies.…”