My next move: LA Times!

March 18th, 2010

"You're going into journalism?  Now?"  "they" asked.  "What can you do with that?" I've always answered that I'll figure something out, that the Web is to journalism's benefit, not its detriment.  That there's got to be something to this programming journalism thing I enjoy so much. I finished my last final today Read More...

Data Delver: Jennifer LaFleur, ProPublica

March 8th, 2010

The nature of CAR is shifting each day, as data analyzers and Web developers alike prepare to converge on Phoenix later this week.  But for those who've been in this for the long haul, the essence of the field remains what it always has been.  That's the message ProPublica's Director of Computer-Assisted Reporting, Jennifer LaFleur, imparted to me during our interview Read More...

Piece de resistance: Data viz wrapup

March 8th, 2010

And, scene.  That's a term borrowed from theater, it's used as an act or scene closes.  My giant Chicago art gallery persistence project is completed.  We've got a trend article that uses CAR techniques, and a Flash visualization and a searchable database.  The main thrust to the story is that of the galleries that existed in Chicago in 1990, about half have survived Read More...

Persistence of Chicago Art Galleries

March 3rd, 2010

I've spent the quarter compiling and analyzing data exploring the persistence of Chicago art galleries, as a way of exploring CAR for the arts.  I found a list from the Chicago Artists' Coalition of 96 such businesses that existed in 1990, and tracked their fate.  A story summarizing the trend follows (an assignment for my Arts Reporting class) Read More...

Guest Post: Integrating data with our journalism

March 2nd, 2010

I was recently asked to write a guest post sharing some of what I've learned about data from my studies, random experimentation and musings that consume my life.  This is part of Adam Westbrook's Fresh Eyes series, where he asks people within and without journalism with non-traditional perspectives to talk about how journalists can improve their craft Read More...

“Demos, not memos”: My first Django app

February 22nd, 2010

UPDATE:  GitHub repo with code for the app can be found here: http://github.com/michelleminkoff/oscars Thanks to Dave Stanton for a marvelous tutorial linked in the comments. "Demos, not memos."  It's my new mantra.  A phrase well known in the CAR community, especially after this blog post from Matt Waite, I subscribe to the idea for two reasons Read More...

Many Eyes: “Catalyzing the community around data”

February 18th, 2010

Before I get going, thanks to all of you who've been reading and/or sending me feedback!  And a hearty welcome to any new readers who've found their way over via Innovative Interactivity, #wjchat or any other method.  I'm so glad you're joining me on my data journalism quest (read: obsession!).  If you have any topics you'd like to see explored, or tips and advice, just let me know Read More...

Visualizing networking: When it doesn’t work

February 15th, 2010

So much in journalism and in life, we strive for perfection in our work. The best story idea, the best presentation.  We strive for perfection as individuals, we compete to be the best, get to the scene before someone else, write tighter, edit faster.  But sometimes, it’s just as important to recognize when something just didn’t work Read More...

Visual confections are more than mere presentation

February 15th, 2010

Data visualization.  It's one of those terms that can mean so many things.  I say I'm doing an independent study on data visualization this quarter.  That's true.  But a better description would be "data visualizations for journalism."  I've talked about this with people before, a lot of pieces are gorgeous, and they do convey information, but they don't tell a story that informs the viewer in a useful way Read More...

Data Delver: William Hartnett, Palm Beach Post

February 12th, 2010

There's a fine line between loving your work, and falling into a deep obsession.  I don't pretend to understand the distinction, what some call an obsession, I call it loving learning and seeing a project through.  I think it's very easy to become sucked in to something, when it's something that matters Read More...