An introduction to how data journalism can contribute / add to or spearhead news reporting. A few highly visible examples and how they were achieved.

1. Data-driven reporting:
why do it?
CRINA–GABRIELA BOROŞ
DATA JOURNALIST & INTERNATIONAL CAR TRAINER

2. SO WHAT IS
DATA
JOURNALISM?

3. What’s in
a name?
Computer-Assisted Reporting (CAR)
Data Journalism (DJ)
Data-Driven Journalism
(DDJ)
There is no good name
for what we do!
DATA = JUST ANOTHER SOURCE
What CAR reporters are not = hackers /
programmers, web designers, scientists,
mathematicians

4. TRANSPARENCY
ACCOUNTABILITY
EVIDENCE-BASED JOURNALISM
(as opposed to anecdotal evidence or informed
opinion)
SHOWS SYSTEMIC PROBLEMS
IDENTIFIES OUTLIERS OUTSIDE
PERSONAL BIAS OR ANECDOTES
PROTECTION OF HUMAN SOURCES
FACILITATES WATCHDOGGING

5. So, why
does it
matter?
 Proof of systemic wrongdoing
*stop and search discriminates against
non-whites
 Correlations
*school test results and poverty level
 Can find the problems in the system
*cartels *fat cats *discrimination
 Misuse of public trust
* MPs expenses *
 Trends over time
*life expectancy

7. Fish Quota
Barons
PHOTO: GREENPEACE UK

8. OUR
PROCESS

9. :
FQA Register Data engineering
Follow-the-money –
corporate registries
FOI requests
Clever web searches
Merging several
datasets
Analysis Auditing
Reporting and
research
throughout
Confrontation
interviews
Right to reply
Writing and
publication

10. Image by Greenpeace UK

11. Andrew Marr International

12. Meet Nina
May

13. LINKS:
 UK FQA (Fixed Quota Allocation) Register
A list of fishing vessel licences and entitlement owners who hold FQA units
https://www.fqaregister.service.gov.uk/
 Annual Tonnage Allocations: tonnes of fish per FQA unit
It varies year on year
 Company registers
https://www.duedil.com/
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/companies-house
https://opencorporates.com
https://investigativedashboard.org/
 Vessel tracking websites

14. EUobserver
HOW THE EU COSIED UP TO THE DEFENCE LOBBY

15. Findings:
Open procurement data People background
checks
Freedom of Information
logs
Advisory Committees and
procurement winners are
in conflict of interest,
often undeclared
UK expert refused to file
her DOI
An unnecessary and
expensive border
surveillance system
No one is counting the
dead
Interest groups supply
public funds bloodlines to
defence companies
rebranded as ‘security
services’

16. LINKS:
 Ask the EU
https://www.asktheeu.org/
 EU Tenders databases
http://data.europa.eu/euodp/data/dataset/ted-1
https://ted.europa.eu/TED/main/HomePage.do
 Committees and special advisors lists
https://ec.europa.eu/info/about-european-
commission/service-standards-and-
principles/transparency/special-advisers_en
 Lobby registers
http://ec.europa.eu/transparencyregister/public/home
Page.do

19. RESOURCES:
Income data (public government agency)
NGO-collected socio-economic data
Union data & reports
Migration figures
Anecdotal evidence
Public documents
Corporate PR
Field reporting & interviews
Vulnerable source protection

22. crinaboros.tumblr.com