Episode 53: Conversation with Betsy Ladyzhets & Dillon Bergin (Muckrock)
Dec 14, 2022
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Betsy Ladyzhets and Dillon Bergin from Muckrock talk about collaboration in data storytelling. They discuss partnerships with local journalists, uncovering hidden stories, tools for investigative journalism, and the emotional toll of long-term reporting. They also explore using R and Python in data journalism, alternative platforms for discourse, and learning opportunities in the field.
Collaborating with local journalists and experts uncovers hidden stories.
Data journalists use tools like Python, R, and visualization platforms for analysis.
Deep dives
Collaboration in Data Journalism at Muckrock
Teaming up with local reporters or data experts can unearth untold stories. Muckrock, a non-profit news site, provides tools for government transparency and accountability. Most of their work is US-focused, but tools like Document Cloud have been used globally, including in major stories like Wikileaks and the Panama Papers.
Benefits and Challenges of Collaborations
Collaborations with news partners often stem from interesting data or record sets. Stories can come from valuable record sets or data, leading to collaborations with local partners on topics like excess deaths during the pandemic or analyzing air quality data in Chicago. Working with experts and local reporters can provide different skill sets and resources.
The Uncounted Project on Undercounting COVID Deaths
The Uncounted Project highlights cases where COVID deaths may have been underreported due to decentralized death investigation systems in the US. Working with demographers and local reporters revealed undercounting trends in specific counties, shedding light on the challenges of death investigation discrepancies.
Tools and Platforms for Data Journalism
Data journalists often use tools like Python and R for data analysis, with R's Tidyverse being particularly useful. For visualization, platforms like Flourish and DataRapper are popular. Journalists also leverage Slack, Mastodon, and newsletters like Data is Plural for networking and learning. Events like NICAR and coding boot camps are valuable for honing data journalism skills.
In our latest episode, we spoke about the importance of using collaboration to tell better data stories. Muckrock's Betsy Ladyzhets and Dillon Bergin talk about the power of working with local journalists and scientific experts to find hidden stories. The pair also give us an overview of Muckrock's tools that can help journalists hold governments to account.
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