Big Data & Data Journalism

General intro

This course is an introduction to the Big Data revolution, to its impact on all levels of society and on the practice of journalism. The first part is devoted to a critical discussion around a documentary film on the hopes and fears that Big Data raises for living in society and the future of mankind. The second part is an introduction to data journalism.

Learning objectives

This course aims to raise awareness on the issues and impact of Big Data in all aspects of life, to introduce participants to key concepts related to the use of data in journalism and the new possibilities it opens up in various professional fields.

Targeted skills

Understand the historical context of Big Data and the hopes and fears it raises.
Become familiar with key concepts related to the collection, production and use of data in journalism.
Practice some basic techniques for searching, collecting, analyzing, and visualizing useful data in journalism.

Training outline

Big Data and the Data Revolution

Living and working in a sea of data : hopes and fears
Concepts and definitions : data, information, knwoledge and widsom, types of data (quantitative, qualitative, etc.)

Data Journalism

A specialization at the crossroads of investigative journalism, programming and graphic design: history and future prospects
The daily routines of an editorial team working with data (journalists, developers, graphic designers): a shared responsibility (real-life examples).

Data searching, verification and visualization techniques

The collection of structured open data: where/how to find and verify them. Practical exercises with…
- a general search engine and a combination of Boolean operators
- a specialized database (WHO for public health data, etc.)
- a directory of databases (e.g. Google Public Data Viewer)
- other sources

Data collection and visualization techniques

Unstructured data: collection tools and techniques
- an introduction to scraping tools
- practical exercises
Data visualization: tools and techniques for interpreting data
- history and examples
- open source tools to process, analyze and visualize data
- exercises and practical work

Data Journalism and Collaborative Journalism

Some examples of data use in journalism
- What personal data stored by telecom companies reveal: German Green MP Malte Spitz and the investigative work of the weekly Zeit Online.
- Genetic genealogy: new databases and crime solving
- Twitter as a counter-revolutionary weapon in Bahrain: how a PhD student managed to analyze hundreds of thousands of tweets to unmask a massive propaganda campaign
The collaborative journalism revolution
- the Panama, Paradise and Pandora Papers: dealing with a data tsunami
- the new opportunities & challenges of crowdsourcing investigative work.

Network visualization

Networks: analysis and visualization of Twitter activity (by #, keywords, authors, etc.) through network mapping
- case study
- the Hoaxy online tool
- installation and introduction to the Gephi interface
- installation and configuration of the Streaming Twitter Importer plugin

Other trainings

Examples of courses

Advanced Internet Search Techniques

Advanced Internet Search Techniques

Training outline

Mass Surveillance, Digital Security and Privacy

Mass Surveillance, Digital Security and Privacy

Training outline

Cognitive Biases & Conspiracy Theories

Cognitive Biases & Conspiracy Theories

Training outline

Environmental Journalism and Climate Change

Environmental Journalism and Climate Change

Training outline

Fake News: Living in the Post-Truth Era

Fake News: Living in the Post-Truth Era

Training outline

Web & Social Media Monitoring Tools and Techniques

Web & Social Media Monitoring Tools and Techniques

Training outline

Fact-checking visuals – an introduction

Fact-checking visuals – an introduction

Training outline

Social Networks : Fact-checking and Monitoring Techniques

Social Networks : Fact-checking and Monitoring Techniques

Training outline

Investigative Journalism with Satellite Images

Investigative Journalism with Satellite Images

Training outline

Information Warfare & Computational Propaganda

Information Warfare & Computational Propaganda

Training outline

Examples of courses

Advanced Internet Search Techniques

Advanced Internet Search Techniques

Training outline

Mass Surveillance, Digital Security and Privacy

Mass Surveillance, Digital Security and Privacy

Training outline

Cognitive Biases & Conspiracy Theories

Cognitive Biases & Conspiracy Theories

Training outline

Environmental Journalism and Climate Change

Environmental Journalism and Climate Change

Training outline

Fake News: Living in the Post-Truth Era

Fake News: Living in the Post-Truth Era

Training outline

Web & Social Media Monitoring Tools and Techniques

Web & Social Media Monitoring Tools and Techniques

Training outline

Fact-checking visuals – an introduction

Fact-checking visuals – an introduction

Training outline

Social Networks : Fact-checking and Monitoring Techniques

Social Networks : Fact-checking and Monitoring Techniques

Training outline

Investigative Journalism with Satellite Images

Investigative Journalism with Satellite Images

Training outline

Information Warfare & Computational Propaganda

Information Warfare & Computational Propaganda

Training outline

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