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The Data Journalism Handbook: How Journalists Can Use Data to Improve the News
When you combine the sheer scale and range of digital information now available with a journalist’s "nose for news" and her ability to tell a compelling story, a new world of possibility opens up. With The Data Journalism Handbook, you’ll explore the potential, limits, and applied uses of this new and fascinating field.
This valuable handbook has attracted scores of contributors since the European Journalism Centre and the Open Knowledge Foundation launched the project at MozFest 2011. Through a collection of tips and techniques from leading journalists, professors, software developers, and data analysts, you’ll learn how data can be either the source of data journalism or a tool with which the story is told—or both.
Examine the use of data journalism at the BBC, the Chicago Tribune, the Guardian, and other news organizations
Explore in-depth case studies on elections, riots, school performance, and corruption
Learn how to find data from the Web, through freedom of information laws, and by "crowd sourcing"
Extract information from raw data with tips for working with numbers and statistics and using data visualization
Deliver data through infographics, news apps, open data platforms, and download links
This valuable handbook has attracted scores of contributors since the European Journalism Centre and the Open Knowledge Foundation launched the project at MozFest 2011. Through a collection of tips and techniques from leading journalists, professors, software developers, and data analysts, you’ll learn how data can be either the source of data journalism or a tool with which the story is told—or both.
Examine the use of data journalism at the BBC, the Chicago Tribune, the Guardian, and other news organizations
Explore in-depth case studies on elections, riots, school performance, and corruption
Learn how to find data from the Web, through freedom of information laws, and by "crowd sourcing"
Extract information from raw data with tips for working with numbers and statistics and using data visualization
Deliver data through infographics, news apps, open data platforms, and download links
238 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2012
35 people are currently reading
374 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 22, 2015
Easily a favorite "technical" book of mine. It's rare I read a book on the power of data / coding to do good in the world. This book did an excellent job of interviewing reporters and developers at the Guardian, ProPublica, La Nation, the Associated Press -- to get a true look at how data and data visualization can be used effectively in journalism. The book offered a perfect blend of case studies, technical recommendations, and use considerations.
I walked away with a lot more interest in data visualization and a better understanding of the tools needed to get better at it.
I walked away with a lot more interest in data visualization and a better understanding of the tools needed to get better at it.
September 26, 2018
A wonderful guide to learn more about datajournalism.
Fully available on the website http://datajournalismhandbook.org, it gives an amazing overview of the opportunities given to journalists by the information age.
One of the most beautiful thing of the book is the presence of examples and inputs.
Fully available on the website http://datajournalismhandbook.org, it gives an amazing overview of the opportunities given to journalists by the information age.
One of the most beautiful thing of the book is the presence of examples and inputs.
January 26, 2017
Great collaboration between many data journalists over the world. The free web version is available here: http://datajournalismhandbook.org/, but I prefer to read it on paper ;).
October 5, 2023
Before writing a review it's worth explaining how the handbook came about: at MozFest 2011/12 a bunch of data journalists conceived this project. A collaborative book which explains everything the contributors knew about this new field. It is raw, has the passion, and the insight on what data journalism could do for both journalism, the web, (and even ones career).
As a Data Journalist I work in B2B marketing and thought leadership, so the news/journalistic angle might seem not totally relevant to me - but I still found it useful.
You're not going to get a bunch of how-tos here, or just case studies or "stories behind the stories" but a matter of tips, reflections, and advice for the data journalist, no matter their level. Definitely recommend to new entrants into the field.
I'm also a bit of a nerd for reading things not in my own time - this was published in 2012, so it's pretty cool seeing the data stories they're talking about (post wikileaks, pre Panama papers). For instance I remember the MP expenses scandal, and the care home scandle in the UK around 2009, so it was pretty cool reading about how the data journalists achieved those stories with technology at the time.
Oh, it's also fun to note how fast technology has moved. In the book they discuss using Google fusion tables (Google's closed that), and sometimes they mention Adobe Flash (shock! Horror!). But you can see mention of tools which are still around today, which is a sign they'll be around for longer (D3.JS, Python, MySQL). There were also some off the shelf tools which while old, are still used sometimes in my workflow (Colour Brewer for instance).
The best version is the PDF version on their website (and it's free). I found at the time, the kindle version to be a bit out of date compared to the PDF version. Not to mention the sequel, Handbook 2, is also only available as a PDF version. I'm not great at reading 200+ page PDFs on screens, so I just printed it out in the office and put it into a binder. May be bad for trees, but it's good for my knowledge (and actually reading the damn thing). Recommend you do the same, unless you have a superpower I don't have, and regularly read large PDFs on screens.
As a Data Journalist I work in B2B marketing and thought leadership, so the news/journalistic angle might seem not totally relevant to me - but I still found it useful.
You're not going to get a bunch of how-tos here, or just case studies or "stories behind the stories" but a matter of tips, reflections, and advice for the data journalist, no matter their level. Definitely recommend to new entrants into the field.
I'm also a bit of a nerd for reading things not in my own time - this was published in 2012, so it's pretty cool seeing the data stories they're talking about (post wikileaks, pre Panama papers). For instance I remember the MP expenses scandal, and the care home scandle in the UK around 2009, so it was pretty cool reading about how the data journalists achieved those stories with technology at the time.
Oh, it's also fun to note how fast technology has moved. In the book they discuss using Google fusion tables (Google's closed that), and sometimes they mention Adobe Flash (shock! Horror!). But you can see mention of tools which are still around today, which is a sign they'll be around for longer (D3.JS, Python, MySQL). There were also some off the shelf tools which while old, are still used sometimes in my workflow (Colour Brewer for instance).
The best version is the PDF version on their website (and it's free). I found at the time, the kindle version to be a bit out of date compared to the PDF version. Not to mention the sequel, Handbook 2, is also only available as a PDF version. I'm not great at reading 200+ page PDFs on screens, so I just printed it out in the office and put it into a binder. May be bad for trees, but it's good for my knowledge (and actually reading the damn thing). Recommend you do the same, unless you have a superpower I don't have, and regularly read large PDFs on screens.
May 28, 2017
شمل الكتاب مجموعه من الأفكار التي تم تطبيقها في الصحافة من خلال تحليل البيانات المتاحه من الجهات المختصه او من خلال شبكات التواصل الاجتماعي.
الجميل في هذا الكتاب تطبيق الفكره في اكثر من مكان من خلال مشاركه المعلومات.
أعجبت بفكره دوري المدارس لتقييم المدارس ومستوى الطلاب بها. وتتبع مصادر الشائعات على تويتر ومدى وتاثيرها على الجمهور. واسباب الشغب في عدة حوادث تمت في دول مختلفه. بالاضافة لبعض الافكار المبتكره في الصحه والتربية والحياة الاجتماعية بين الافراد.
في نهاية الكتاب شرح الكاتب العديد من الادوات المستخدمه لافضل توصيف للبيانات. وكيفيه الحصول على البيانات من خلال عدة مصادر مختلفه.
الجميل في هذا الكتاب تطبيق الفكره في اكثر من مكان من خلال مشاركه المعلومات.
أعجبت بفكره دوري المدارس لتقييم المدارس ومستوى الطلاب بها. وتتبع مصادر الشائعات على تويتر ومدى وتاثيرها على الجمهور. واسباب الشغب في عدة حوادث تمت في دول مختلفه. بالاضافة لبعض الافكار المبتكره في الصحه والتربية والحياة الاجتماعية بين الافراد.
في نهاية الكتاب شرح الكاتب العديد من الادوات المستخدمه لافضل توصيف للبيانات. وكيفيه الحصول على البيانات من خلال عدة مصادر مختلفه.
July 19, 2012
The particularly well-conceived infographic that illustrates the story arc of this handbook started my relationship with the book on a very positive tone. The diagram provides a superb roadmap and gives me (as a self-perceived visual thinker) an indication of where I can derive the most value from it. It also describes the general intent of the book itself and I give it a very strong recommendation. According to the accompanying narrative it was conceived and initially constructed in a 48 hours session at MozFest 2011 and then refined online amongst a large group of contributors. The Data Journalism Handbook (an early release version is what I have been provided with and am reviewing) is aimed to “give you a sense of how to get started [with data journalism] and where to look if you want to go further. Examples and tutorials serve to be illustrative rather than exhaustive.” So why I am reading this? Natural inquisitiveness of course, but also to explore this concept of telling a story with numbers … or with other forms of data. Professional and personally it interests me — and I found this collected volume a treasure trove of real-world examples, pithy observations and real nuggets of emerging thought.
This instructional and thought-provoking book looks to the a rapidly emerging sector of the media engaged around presenting, interpreting and most innovatively developing and providing interactive tools for working with publicly available data — as part of a ‘new’ media initiative. It is not a ‘normally structured’ sort of book. In this I mean it is far less structured than most. It has a solid coherence around the general theme and if you take a look at the story arc infographic I mentioned above you will see that it does follow a determined path, but there is a less clearly narrative structure.
To extract just one aspect that I found particularly supportive of the simple need for this sort of handbook is the statement that ‘Data journalism is about mass data literacy’. This looks to a larger cultural change that is taking place in the audience and the rapidity of this change. I have found the Guardian and the New York Times particularly notable in this and a reference to the Guardian’s data processing experience is one of the case studies explained as part of the ‘In the Newsroom’ section. The Guardian has been very forward thinking but also very open about how they have approached this data journalism revolution and absence of such discussion would have been almost unforgiveable in a book such as this — so they checked the box but more importably put it into a larger context of experiences from around the world.
The In the Newsroom section is largely case driven. The Getting Data section moves more towards an interrogative question and answer format. Understanding Data is probably the most didactic section of the book and has the strongest narrative. It combines some of the question/answer with a very solid process approach to data mingling and processing for journalistic use. Presenting and Delivering Data is the most speculative of the sections and explores ways in which this is being done today but poses many interesting ideas that are meant to inspire. All in all the variety of the sections keeps it very fresh and engaging.
This handbook is lavishly illustrated and well directed to URLs for further discussion. I found that the questions posed in the ongoing discussion were clearly identified and the entire handbook takes the form of this ongoing discussion rather than a direct narrative. I found that this worked for me and I tended to move back and forth through the handbook attracted to specific questions and consumed the book piecemeal. I expect most people will find this the most useful way to consume it. As it is an assemblage of contributions from a wide ranging group, the style of prose does tend to vary somewhat between sections, but I am struck that it lends a surprising freshness. Most importantly, this handbook is very comprehensive and current. As with any of these printed works in emerging fields the challenge will be to keep it current over time, but I have sense that this one in particular will age well due to its richly diverse sourcing and reflection.
Data Journalism truly extends beyond the realms of ‘journalism’ as it is traditionally defined. I would posit that as consumers of the new interactive presentations increasingly found in the new media, we are both consumers and also creators of our own journalism. Curators journalists that interact and create our own interpretations and tis is what interested me in the outset to take a look at this book. I found it a fascinating read, dealign with current matters, presenting engaging examples and generally testing an emerging field with critical attention. I would recommend it for a wide variety of audiences and principally for anyone who finds themselves immersed in this new interactive data-driven media world in which we find ourselves.
This instructional and thought-provoking book looks to the a rapidly emerging sector of the media engaged around presenting, interpreting and most innovatively developing and providing interactive tools for working with publicly available data — as part of a ‘new’ media initiative. It is not a ‘normally structured’ sort of book. In this I mean it is far less structured than most. It has a solid coherence around the general theme and if you take a look at the story arc infographic I mentioned above you will see that it does follow a determined path, but there is a less clearly narrative structure.
To extract just one aspect that I found particularly supportive of the simple need for this sort of handbook is the statement that ‘Data journalism is about mass data literacy’. This looks to a larger cultural change that is taking place in the audience and the rapidity of this change. I have found the Guardian and the New York Times particularly notable in this and a reference to the Guardian’s data processing experience is one of the case studies explained as part of the ‘In the Newsroom’ section. The Guardian has been very forward thinking but also very open about how they have approached this data journalism revolution and absence of such discussion would have been almost unforgiveable in a book such as this — so they checked the box but more importably put it into a larger context of experiences from around the world.
The In the Newsroom section is largely case driven. The Getting Data section moves more towards an interrogative question and answer format. Understanding Data is probably the most didactic section of the book and has the strongest narrative. It combines some of the question/answer with a very solid process approach to data mingling and processing for journalistic use. Presenting and Delivering Data is the most speculative of the sections and explores ways in which this is being done today but poses many interesting ideas that are meant to inspire. All in all the variety of the sections keeps it very fresh and engaging.
This handbook is lavishly illustrated and well directed to URLs for further discussion. I found that the questions posed in the ongoing discussion were clearly identified and the entire handbook takes the form of this ongoing discussion rather than a direct narrative. I found that this worked for me and I tended to move back and forth through the handbook attracted to specific questions and consumed the book piecemeal. I expect most people will find this the most useful way to consume it. As it is an assemblage of contributions from a wide ranging group, the style of prose does tend to vary somewhat between sections, but I am struck that it lends a surprising freshness. Most importantly, this handbook is very comprehensive and current. As with any of these printed works in emerging fields the challenge will be to keep it current over time, but I have sense that this one in particular will age well due to its richly diverse sourcing and reflection.
Data Journalism truly extends beyond the realms of ‘journalism’ as it is traditionally defined. I would posit that as consumers of the new interactive presentations increasingly found in the new media, we are both consumers and also creators of our own journalism. Curators journalists that interact and create our own interpretations and tis is what interested me in the outset to take a look at this book. I found it a fascinating read, dealign with current matters, presenting engaging examples and generally testing an emerging field with critical attention. I would recommend it for a wide variety of audiences and principally for anyone who finds themselves immersed in this new interactive data-driven media world in which we find ourselves.
January 24, 2025
An outstanding book that offers interdisciplinary, data-driven articles.
August 6, 2012
Licenciado con Creative Commons, The Data Journalism Handbook existe gracias a una gran cantidad de contribuidores. El libro está fuertemente basado en publicaciones periodisticas basadas en datos, introduce al concepto de Data Journalism, explica su importancia y que tener en cuenta a la hora de realizar un trabajo de ese tipo, adjunta también que herramientas estan disponibles para hacerlo.
September 9, 2012
Inspirational stories, great ideas, good guide to resources. Lacks the how-to aspect of, say, Visualize This (which I recommend), but still very good.
February 19, 2013
A great starting point with examples & practical tips. Don't stop at this book (v. 1.0)—jump in and start exploring to truly reap the benefits of the knowledge and experience collected here.
July 4, 2015
Mostly anecdotes, mostly missable.
April 24, 2014
Free online version here: http://datajournalismhandbook.org/
February 27, 2024
Nice little resource for starting out and those unfamiliar who want to spice up their reporting. Unfortunately not the in-depth how-to I wanted but an okay primer
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews