Journalism & Data

As computer and mobile technology becomes more of a dominating force in how we receive and spread news, it is important that journalists keep up.  It is no longer enough to understand the traditional methods of reporting news, since it seems like everyone and their dog is able to get information out quickly and to a significant audience these days.  Journalists and journalism programs have to adapt to this shifting climate, and place emphasis on things like data organization and interpretation, and in engaging reader feedback in stories.

While I am not a (and never was) a journalism student, I have a few friends that have been through the process.  These are all young students, recent graduates, who are trying to find a job in their field and are discovering that they are missing a major piece of experience.  While they are well-versed in the traditions of journalism that have held strong for so long, they have no experience in utilizing data.  In Laura Ruel’s article outlining which skills are important for landing journalism jobs, she suggests job applicants have experience with everything from audio/video/image editing to web development in order to be seen as valuable to potential employers.  Cindy Royal also points out the necessity of being tech-savvy when working in journalism, arguing that data interpretation has always been important in the field, and pointing to the success of Aron Pilhofer (New York Times) as an example of the benefits of embracing these ideas.  However, students fresh from Journalism school are noticing that these facets of the industry have been largely ignored during their schooling.

This is where I think the greatest amount of change needs to come from when preparing for the amplified role of data in journalism.  Equipping college graduates with skills such as these will put them one giant pace ahead of journalists who do not understand or have experience with such programs when job hunting.  Not only will they be more likely to be hired, but they will be able to use these tools and contribute to this changing landscape.  If the importance of data is ignored, however, ‘qualified’ journalists will become obsolete, and the average Joe with an understanding of data will take over.