This is a talk I gave at the NICAR conference in Atlanta in spring 2015. We discussed how to get your staff in a "data state of mind" and make data stories more accessible to everyone.

1. Catching Fire
Spreading data journalism through
the newsroom.
Emma Carew Grovum / @emmacarew
Director, Digital Content Development
Foreign Policy magazine

2. Source: https://twitter.com/markles/status/453497435784884224/photo/1
We Can Do Better

3. Who Needs Data Training?
● Reporters
● Producers
● Editors
● Freelancers
● Artists
(aka: everyone)

4. What Topics?
● Good Chart, Bad Chart
● 10 Tips for Excel / Spreadsheets
● How to Interview Data
● Which Chart When?
● Spectrum of Dataviz
● Data Tools

5. Bad Charts

6. Welcome to Spreadsheets
● Total 101 / Step Zero tips
● .xls > .xlsx > .csv > .tsv
● Sort, copy/paste, cell formats
● Formulas: sum, min-max, median, %chg
● Flat cells (values only)
● Freeze pane, filter

7. How to Work with Data
● Finding datasets
● Evaluating quality of the data source
● Enough data / the right data?
● How to identify dirty data
● Look for outliers
● Put the dataset in context with
reporting

8. Different Tutorials
● Reporters bringing data to producers
● Producers contributing graphics only
● Reporters doing their own data
● Editors working with freelancers
● Checks and balances for accuracy
before publishing

9. Which Chart When?
Source: http://www.kuangkeng.com/2014/12/11/datan-enabling-small-newsroom-to-produce-data-journalism/

10. Which Chart When?

11. Spectrum of Dataviz

12. Data Tools
● FP Chartbuilder (Papousek by way of
Bowers)
● FP Datawrapper (Keng from Studio 20)
● Sankey diagram tool
● VIS network tool
● Trading View (stocks charts)

13. Progress in Baby Steps

14. Additional Resources
http://lenagroeger.s3.amazonaws.
com/talks/nicar-2015/timelines-
nicar/tmelines.html● Keng’s Studio 20 summary
● Steve Doig’s math tipsheet
● Mary Jo Webster’s “Data State of Mind”
● Steve Buttry’s tips for editors
● Michelle Minkoff on drilling into data
● ProPublica’s Guide to Bulletproofing