CIJ Spring Bootcamp (London)

You’ve heard that data journalism (also known as computer-assisted reporting, or CAR) is a great skill for advancing your reporting but you’re not sure where to begin. You’ve mastered some basic spreadsheet skills, but still feel you need to learn more. Or maybe it’s completely new to you and you want to learn what data journalism is all about and how to do it.

14-18 March
Also available: Advanced SQL only – last three days of the bootcamp
City University London

Book your place

Course Fees
Full price- £500, NUJ member – £375, Student – £250.
Advanced SQL only – £300

The Centre for Investigative Journalism is offering a five-day workshop on computer-assisted reporting. It’s designed for reporters with little or no knowledge of data journalism and give them a foundation in the essential skills. By the end of the workshop, attendees will be able to produce data-driven, evidence-based stories and investigations that will make a difference in their newsrooms and the communities they serve.

Reporters who have some spreadsheet skills but need to learn how to manage and use larger data sets can attend this portion of the workshop at a reduced cost. The last three days will take their existing skills to a new level, giving them the ability to make greater impact with database-driven stories.

Please get in touch with Minal: minal@tcij.org if you have any questions.

Topics and skills covered during the workshop include:
* Spreadsheet analysis to make sense out of numbers;
* The basics of data management and SQL;
* Finding, importing and cleaning data for stories;
* Connecting data-driven evidence to narrative reporting;
* Seeing data as part of web-based storytelling;
* Award-winning, database stories and how they were produced;
* Time to work on your own data project;
* Suggestions of how to make data journalism work in your newsroom;
* Taking the skills back to your newsroom.

Open Lab
Reporters who identify and bring data from their beats and areas of interest to the workshop, will get one-on-one time with the trainers at the end of each day to start and develop their data analysis.

About David Donald
David is the data editor at the Center for Public Integrity in Washington. His interests include financial, housing and healthcare analysis and new tools for data analysis. Prior to joining the Center in 2008, he served as training director at Investigative Reporters and Editors and the National Institute for Computer Assisted Reporting for five years. He uses data analysis to uncover fraud and governmental abuse. His stories have won three Batten Awards and two Hammet Awards for ethical and courageous journalism.

But Don’t Just Take Our Word For It
“I attended the October 2011 Data Journalism Boot Camp with very little experience of Excel. David Donald’s excellent teaching, patience and his ability to make statistics sound fascinating meant I left the course confident and keen to handle large volumes of data. A few months later, the investigative news website I work for partnered with BBC Northern Ireland to publish my first big data story. My analysis was based on 14,259 rows in Excel. Before the training, I wouldn’t have known where to start! Thanks to David and the CIJ, I have been bitten by the data bug and regularly have dreams about pie charts.”
Kathryn Torney, senior journalist at The Detail (www.thedetail.tv) in Belfast.
Jailed for non-payment of fines in Northern Ireland
Thousands imprisoned for minor crimes

“David has been teaching data journalism in the UK since before any newspaper had a single data specialist – let alone data teams. His expertise is matched by his methodial, laid-back and humorous teaching style, which five years ago helped me grasp the basics of what has since become my trade. Now David is over the in the UK trying – for what I think is the first time – the multi-day training previously only on offer in the US, I think that’s a great opportunity for anyone keen on this fast-developing field.”
James Ball Data Journalist the Guardian

“David Donald single-handedly opened my eyes to the power of computer-assisted reporting. His CAR training is the reason many of us do the work we do and find stories that otherwise would go unreported. From the first “aha-moment” in Excel years ago, David has been an expert guide and a patient teacher. A true master!”
Cynthia O’Murchu, Investigative Reporter at the FT

See some of Cynthia’s stories found using data journalism techniques:

Britain’s private care faces crisis
BP failures heighten fears at North Sea risk
FT site is free but registration is required

Please note: All our courses are scheduled to go ahead subject to a minimum number of attendees signing up. The minimum number for each course differs and this is just to enable us to cover costs of the training venue and trainer fees where applicable.