Empirical reporting

(Otherwise known as MCO 510: Data Journalism)

Section 1, MMC students: 8-9:50 TTh
Section 2, MIJ students: 4-5:50 TTh
Cronkite 404b

Instructor: Sarah Cohen / sarah.h.cohen@asu.edu / 361 Cronkite

Student hours: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday when I’m not in class. Please Slack me to make sure I’ll be there when it’s convenient for you.

Course website: https://cronkitedata.github.io/dj/. This is where you’ll find all of the material for class – readings, class outlines, details on assignments, etc.

By Chris Wormhoudt via Unsplash

Description

This is a class in data journalism focused the systematic use of public records, documents and other material in public affairs reporting. We’re calling it “empirical journalism”, but previous generations might have called it “computer-assisted reporting” or “precision journalism”. Whatever the name, the idea is the same: original reporting and analysis in the service of stories, particularly in the accountability and explanatory genres.

Analyzing records can help you confirm or disprove a tip, isolate anecdotes, and explore stories or patterns that no one has thought to mention. Using data-driven techniques, your street reporting will become deeper and more enlightening. Better yet, the techniques you’ll learn in this class will often yield exclusive stories.

By the end of the semester, you should be able to:

  • Identify how and when analysis of electronic records might strengthen your story, provide important insights, or suggest new lines of reporting.
  • Apply tools such as Excel and the R programming language for reporting in efficient, effective and ethical ways that avoid errors.
  • Integrate data journalism techniques with traditional reporting methods.
  • Identify skills you want to learn in the future and become adept at jumping into new technologies in service to your journalism.

Required materials and texts

There are no required texts for this class. Most of the course materials are linked on this site (https://cronkitedata.github.io/dj).

Most days in class you’ll be referred to the data journalism resource pages, or the R Study Guide. Those exist to help you, but you’re not required to go through them unless assigned.

You should use your official ASU email for all work in this class, and check it regularly. You will also need to use your ASU Slack account as our our primary method of communication – it’s linked off of your MY ASU home page.

You are not required to have your own computer or laptop - all of the software used in our course is available in the lab or online for free. If you prefer to use your own equipment, you’ll need:

  • A free copy of Microsoft Excel available in myapps.asu.edu (not Google Sheets and not Outlook 365 online)
  • R and RStudio, both free community versions. There are instructions on our web site on how to install when we get there. Another option is RStudio.Cloud, a free online version that works just the same way.
  • OpenRefine. This will have limited availability in Cronkite but is free to download and use.

  • A $25 Student membership in Investigative Reporters and Editors. This will help with tip sheets and a story archive including questionnaires filled out by the reporters. You will get to keep this rate for two years after you graduate. Many of the optional readings and tip sheets will require logging into your account.

  • “Numbers in the Newsroom”, by Sarah Cohen, available through IRE. $10.00 . There is a free pdf of the book on the Canvas site under “Shared Resources”.

  • “The Art of Access: Strategies for Acquiring Public Records”, David Cullier and Charles N. Davis, 2nd edition (2018). We won’t be using this, but it’s a great reference to have in your tool kit for public records.

Grading

This course will use a point system adding up to 1000 points for the semester. Following Cronkite guidelines, the final grade will not be rounded up.

  • Daily work: 500 points.
  • Exams (Excel & R) : 200 points
  • Story memo: 150 points
  • Mini-projects : 150 points
    • Explainer: 50 points
    • Data hunt story idea: 50 points
    • Team data walk: 50 points

Grading philosphy:
Meeting all of the requirements by following instructions, completing your work on time and preparing for class is “B” work. You can improve on this by going beyond what’s specifically asked of you: suprise or delight me with your special insight, extraordinary effort, imaginative use of data, or professional level writing or presentation.

Daily work (500)

Doing well in this class means working slowly, methodically and consistently. In the words of of University of Nebraska professor Matt Waite:

matt waite tweet

Daily work is made up of several distinct elements:

Labs and homework, which will be marked “Complete” or “Incomplete”. A complete assignment is one that is turned in on time at an acceptable level of quality, accuracy and completeness. (40%)

Preparation for class(25%). Preparing will take a different amount of time for each student each week. I expect you to spend, on average, about 6 hours outside of class each week. Preparation means:

  • Carefully reading or watching all of the assigned material and exploring some of the recommended pieces or links.
  • Following along on all of the tutorials and walkthroughs, and completing any self-assessments or quizzes.

Application of data skills and principles to journalism. This includes news judgment, ethics, accuracy, writing / presentation, and research/reporting when appropriate. We won’t be doing full stories here, but it’s still a journalism class. This matters as much as any technical skill you might learn. (20%)

Teamwork, initiative, engagement, and attention to editorial direction. Offer your superpowers to the group and pay attention to suggestions to take your work to the next level. (15%)

There are three self-assessment assignments in Canvas. In each of these assessments, you’ll tell me how well you think you’re doing on each of these elements and suggest a grade. Please arrange for a short visit with me within a day or two of turning in a self-assessment. I’ll provide the grade for that portion of the daily work after we meet. I may raise number of points in this area if I determine that you have shown steady and significant improvement over the course of the semester.

Story memo (150) details

You will have a choice of several data sets that could be used in stories. Your memo will involve analyzing the data, identifying a potential story, and writing a story pitch complete with anecdotes and a reporting plan.

Please let me know by the end of January if you already know of a dataset you would prefer to use for this project. You are welcome to use a dataset that would be useful in another class or project. I just want to make sure it’s a good fit for the project’s goals.

Exams (200)

There will be two in-class tests - one for Excel and the other for R. These will be open-book, open-Internet tests that start during class and will be due 24 hours after it begins. If you keep up with the work, these are not difficult exams. Many people finish them before class ends.

Mini-projects (150)

1 - Data walk (50) [details]: This is a short project done in groups toward the end of the semester, but you should be thinking of it as you move through the course. Together, you will design and create a small dataset of items that you collect by walking around. Examples include plants, garbage, construction sites, clothing, types of shops or bars or anything else that can be catalogued. By the end of the semester, you’ll understand why this is harder than it sounds!

2 - Data hunt story idea (50) [details ]: In this project, you’ll propose a story idea and find some data sources that might inform it. This data could be readily available or something you would have to obtain under public records laws. The only requirement is that you should know how you will obtain the records and whether you have a right to them under the relavent public records law. Take this opportunity to do some leg work on a story you’d like to do in the future.

3 - Explainer (50) [details]: At some point over the semester, choose one thing you found interesting and create an explainer on it. The topic can be anything related to the course. The medium is also flexible – you might choose an R Markdown walkthrough or a video, for example. This is short and targeted – a video tutorial of no more than 5 minutes, or a document of no more than about 3 pages. This is due anytime during the semester, but I suggest doing it as soon as you stumble on something that interests you, while it’s still fresh in your mind.

Course policies

90% of life is just showing up

Woody Allen

The minimal requirement is to arrive on time, prepared, and ready to work. Put your phone away as soon as you get to class. Refrain from eating, napping, using social media, shopping, or working on something else. Be polite to your classmates and any guests by respecting their time.

If you can’t even fake being engaged and active in class then please leave class rather than distract everyone else.

Attendance and deadlines

There are no excused absences or late assignments, with the exception of a true emergency or religious observance. We all make decisions about how we spend our time.

You might decide it’s more important to schedule a job interview, go to a family wedding, participate in an event for another class, or drive across the state to interview a source than to attend class or complete your work. If I were you, I might decide the same thing, but these are choices that reflect your priorities. They’re not emergencies, nor are they excused absences or deadlines.

As in all journalism work, you are expected to meet deadlines. Turning in any project or exam late will result in a lower grade. You cannot get credit for completing more than one routine assignment late.

You may miss one class and one daily deadline with no penalty and no questions asked, but you should make up the work in a timely manner. Following Cronkite’s grading policies, if you miss more than two classes for any reason, your grade will drop by two steps (eg, from an A to a B+).

Accuracy

If you pursue reporting with data-driven techniques, you’ll often create original information that no one else can confirm. In fact, your sources are often happy to explain a result you present to them, even if it’s entirely wrong. This puts an even bigger burden on you to understand your sources, to question your assumptions and find holes in your work. If an answer seems too newsworthy, walk through everything you’ve done step by step. Seek out errors; ask experts or colleagues to challenge your results. We’ll spend a lot of time on practices that will help protect you from errors but your own skepticism (and sometimes even fear) is the best defense.

I don’t expect your work to be polished and exact. However, work that shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the source, contains a severe miscalculation or misinterpretation, or ignores clear warning signs will receive an E. This is the equivalent of having to retract an entire story because it was based on an obvious falsehood.

Having trouble?
By Fabian Moller via Unsplash

First, remember that learning data skills requires a lot of trial and error -- a LOT of error. It's frustrating and maddening at times. But there are some strategies that you can use to help get you past roadblocks.

  • Slow down! Unlike the rest of journalism, going faster doesn't help. Take little bites of the problem at a time, separate them into their pieces and try to solve a problem step by step.
  • If you've been working on something for more than 20 minutes without making any progress, don't waste more time on it. If you're making just a little progress, keep going. But take a break and come back to it if you're stuck. Get help if you're really stuck. The preferred method is to post a question in the Slack #sos channel, where everyone can learn from your question. If you're stuck, there's a good chance others are as well (or they will be).
  • Remember the goal: We're not out to become social scientists, computer programmers or even data analysts. We're journalists. Simplify your questions, focusing on newsworthiness rather than academic research.
  • Practice on something you're working on outside of school or for another class.

Collaborations

All work submitted under your name must be your work and your work alone. When you are assigned work in teams, contributors should be credited when an individual was primarily responsible for a portion of the work. For example, if one student takes the lead on analyzing data and another on writing the results, you should give credit where it is due.

Extra Credit

Simple. There is none. Why? This course is made up of a lot of little pieces. They can’t be replaced by attending a lecture.

"brodeur"

FAQ

Q: I don’t have any experience. What do I need to succeed?

The MCO bootcamp is the only prerequisite required for this class, including the modules on public records and working with numbers in the newsroom. Beyond that, I would expect a minimal familiarity with spreadsheets in general, and Excel in particular. Look at the materials for the first class for resources to check those skills.

Q: What is the Slack Channel?

Slack is a messaging and teamwork app that has become the de facto standard in newsrooms, including Cronkite News and News 21. You should set up alerts for key channels to be sure you’ll get class announcements. Check the #sos channel regularly to see what questions others have. Use the #stories channel to post and discuss items you run across that might be of interest to the group or comment on the stories we review. There is a link to your Slack account on the course in My ASU.

Q: How should I communicate with you?

Slack or Canvas messages. Even better, in person. I’m usually on campus Tuesday through Thursday (room 361 Cronkite) and you don’t need an appointment to stop by. Do NOT email assignments or use shared Google docs to turn in your work. There are too many moving parts in this course, and I can’t guarantee I’ll keep track of anything submitted outside Canvas and Slack.

Q: How will I know how I’m doing?

There are three self-assessments for the 50 percent of the final grade dependent on routine daily work. You’ll get a grade for each of these segments after discussion with me. In addition, pay attention to the comments on your homework and other material and review the the sample solutions. If you’re concerned, please stop by for more feedback on how you are doing or how you might improve.

Q: How do I ask good questions?

In technical work, asking a good question is an art. Try to:

  • Describe what you are trying to do – what does success look like?
  • Provide a snippet of the code or the Excel formula that you’re trying
  • Take a screen shot or quote the error message if there is one

Q: I already know how to code. Why do I have to take this class?

Even if you know how to code, I presume you are at Cronkite because you want to apply all of your skills to a journalism career. You probably knew how to use a phone or take a picture before you came to j-school, but you may not have used them the way you do now. It’s the same thing. That said, come talk with me if you’re concerned that you won’t be challenged enough. We’ll find ways to make the time productive and take you to the next level in data reporting.

Cronkite policies

Academic Integrity: The school has a zero-tolerance policy toward academic dishonesty that is enforced within every course and educational activity offered or sanctioned by the school. Any allegation of academic dishonesty will be referred to the school’s Standards Committee for review and recommendation to the dean of the school. If any student is found to have engaged in academic dishonesty in any form – including but not limited to cheating, plagiarizing and fabricating – that student shall receive a grade of XE for the class and will be dismissed from the school. There will be no exceptions. At the beginning of every Cronkite class, you will be given a copy of the full academic integrity policy, along with accompanying information on plagiarism. You must sign a pledge that indicates you have read and understood the material and agree to abide by the policy.

The policy, along with guidance on how to avoid plagiarism and fabrication, can be found at http://cronkite.asu.edu/assets/pdf/Academic_Integrity_Policy.pdf

Diversity Principles: The Cronkite School practices inclusivity in student, staff and faculty populations in order to create an academic environment that embraces a diversity of thought and acceptance of all people regardless of race, gender, age, sexual orientation or societal, political, cultural, economic, spiritual or physical differences. Read the full policy at http://cronkite.asu.edu/about/diversity.php.

ACEJMC Values and Competencies: As a member of the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, the Cronkite School is committed to classroom learning that achieves ACEJMC professional values and competencies. These include the core areas of freedom of speech, ethics, diversity, critical thinking, research, writing and use of tools and technologies related to the field. For a full list of ACEJMC values and competencies, see http://www2.ku.edu/~acejmc/PROGRAM/PRINCIPLES.SHTML#vals&comps .

Disability Accommodations: For special classroom accommodations, you must make a formal request through the university’s Disability Resource Center (DRC). You may schedule an appointment at 480.965.1234 (voice) or 480.965.9000 (TTY). After an assessment is conducted, the DRC will provide the school with documentation for consideration.

Religious Accommodations: If you need to be absent from class due to a religious observance, notify your instructor at the beginning of the semester.

Sexual Violence or Harassment: Title IX is a federal law that provides that no person be excluded on the basis of sex from participation in, be denied benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity. Both Title IX and university policy make clear that sexual violence and harassment based on sex is prohibited. Individual who believes they have been subjected to sexual violence or harassed on the basis of sex can seek support, including counseling and academic support, from the university. For information and resources, go to https://sexualviolenceprevention.asu.edu/

Building Hours: The Cronkite building is open from 7 a.m. to midnight Mondays through Thursdays; 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Fridays; and noon to 9 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. However, The Library & Student Resource Center on the second floor of the building is accessible on a 24/7 basis. Students may use their ASU ID cards at the card reader outside the front entry, then sign in with security. The building is closed on university holidays (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., although students may enter on these days using their student ID cards.