The document discusses scraping basics and techniques for journalists, including combining data from multiple sources, using functions to analyze data, searching for structure and documentation, and using XPath to extract specific elements. It also provides examples of how scraping can help answer questions and find leads using data from the Olympics.

1. Scraping the
Olympics
Paul Bradshaw, author: Scraping for Journalists
*
Leanpub.com/scrapingforjournalists

2. ?
Scraping basics
Combining data
Finding stories in data
*

3. *

4. Function (Parameters)
*

5. Function (Parameters)
=SUM(A2:A50)
=AVERAGE(B2:B300)
=COUNTIF(A10:A3000,”Smith”)
*

6. (“string”, index)
*

7. Tip: search for
documentation *

8. Tip: search for structure
around data *

9. *

10. //div[starts-with(@
class, ‘jobWrap’)]*

11. *

12. Combining data
*

13. ?
Question:
Which torchbearers are
from Dorset?
*

14. *

15. *

16. *

17. *

18. *

19. *

20. *

21. *

22. ?
Finding leads:
Corporate torchbearers?
*

23. *

24. *

25. *

26. *

27. New entries - or
disappearing ones
*

28. *

29. *

30. *

31. *

32. Leanpub.com/scrapingforjournalists
@paulbradshaw
onlinejournalismblog.com
helpmeinvestigate.com
slideshare.net/onlinejournalist
*
linkedin.com/in/onlinejournalist