Data Journalism 101: Online, Oct. 22-23

The story of George Hugh Clayton's wife, Alice, who died in an unlicensed adult family home, is one that Michael J. Berens found in the data for his series, "Seniors for Sale." Photo by Alan Berner of The Seattle Times.

Michael J. Berens' data analysis showed that methadone deaths were concentrated in poorer areas.

Poke behind the winners of most major investigative awards from the Pulitzer to Barlett & Steele to the Loebs, and you’ll usually find a database.

Michael J. Berens, who won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting, calls databases, especially those you put together yourself, the “secret ingredient” in award-winning work.

Join him for this two-hour webinar and learn how to break out of the pack and create “powerful works from facts that are hiding in plain sight,” as Berens puts it on his website, Watchdog Reporter.

Register here for this free webinar.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

On Oct. 22, how to:

• Obtain existing databases, including what to ask for before you ask for the data and how to negotiate for data
• Use the Freedom of Information Act to obtain data
• Import data from the Web

Michael J. Berens' award-winning investigative project, "Seniors for Sale," included a database he constructed that revealed 230 unreported deaths in adult family homes. Image courtesy The Seattle Times.

On Oct. 23, how to:

• Think about compartmentalizing data and creating your own database — when no public database exists –  from paper records
• Analyze data using basic commands in Excel
• Integrate data into stories in a meaningful way, including finding the names behind the numbers

IS THIS WEBINAR FOR YOU?

This webinar is for journalists looking to do short- to medium-term enterprise stories based on data. This is an introduction to database reporting. You do not need to know Excel, but those who do know Excel will get even more out of the webinar.

For more on the potential data journalism offers, please see the free online book, The Data Journalism Handbook, which defines data journalism as “obtaining, reporting on, curating and publishing data in the public interest.”

YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Michael J. Berens

Michael J. Berens is a reporter for The Seattle Times and a winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting. He previously worked for the Chicago Tribune and The Columbus Dispatch, where he began as a copy boy in 1981.

Berens’ work has received dozens of national awards, including multiple honors from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers; the National Press Club; the White House Correspondents Association; and Investigative Reporters and Editors; and Associated Press Media Editors. Additionally, his work in recent years was recognized with a Gerald Loeb Award; Worth Bingham Prize for Investigative Journalism; and Selden Ring Award for Investigative Journalism.

He was the 2011 bronze award winner in the Reynolds Center’s Barlett and Steele Awards for Investigative Business Journalism. | Behind the Barlett & Steele Award: Berens’ tips from “Seniors for Sale”

He is a frequent journalism trainer for various media-related organizations and is a former adjunct professor at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.

This follow-up webinar was requested by those who attended Berens’ Reynolds Center webinar in February 2013. You can find the recording, handout and slides from that webinar here: Finding Your Best Investigative Business Story.

FIRST-TIME ATTENDEES

Check out our Technology Help Page for connectivity requirements, helpful tips and an instructional video on how to access Reynolds Center webinars. You will receive an email with the URL and instructions on how to join the session. We also archive recordings of all our training at http://bit.ly/self-guided-training.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

This webinar is sponsored by the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism.

Those who attend three of the Reynolds Center’s training events are eligible to receive a Circle of Achievement certificate.

If you have any questions about the center’s training, please email Executive Director Linda Austin or call 602-496-9187.