Data Journalism

Podatkovno novinarstvo

Course credits:

6.00 ECTS / 45 (20 hours of lectures, 10 hours of exercises, 15 hours of seminars, 0 hours other forms of work)

Course holder:

izr. prof. dr. Jernej Amon Prodnik

Type:

Required

Language:

English

Semester:

First semester

Study degree

2. level

Course execution:

• Postgraduate Programme of Journalism

Prerequisits:

Students are allowed to participate in the course provided that they have completed the enrolment procedure. Additional knowledge is recommended from the courses Basic methods in social research.

Objectives and competences

The main objective of the course is to provide students with the basic knowledge on data journalism and equip them with the skills for usage of various kinds of data in journalistic reporting and writing. Students will obtain practical competences for collecting, cleaning, analysing, interpreting and visualising the collected data. They will gain knowledge and use the basic tools for statistical analysis of data, for data enquiries and for data visualisation. Students will also gain knowledge on how to use data to make journalistic stories and how to present them in a reader-friendly manner. Besides practical competencies this course will give them understanding of theoretical and epistemological dilemmas emerging from increased quantities of available data and processes of quantification (i.e. Big Data society), which will enable them to critically evaluate some of the key topics in the wider field of research.

Content (Syllabus outline)

The central aim of the course is to provide students with the basic understanding of data journalism, which includes competences and skills for intelligent use of statistical and other data in journalistic reporting. With digitalisation the sheer quantity of information, which is available or can be collected on different relevant topics, is increasing. This is opening up new possibilities for journalistic reporting based on thorough and in-depth understanding of data. The course will first provide students with information on the role Big Data in digital societies, algorithmisation and new dilemmas these changes are opening with Artificial Intelligence and automatisation of processes. Students will then get practical with the knowledge on the possible sources of data, examples of good practice and skills for collecting, cleaning, analysing, interpreting and visualising the collected data. Students will be acquainted with how to use basic tools for statistical analysis, how to make queries in databases and how to visualise data. These competences will be connected to relevant journalistic skills, which are necessary for identifying stories based on data and for sensible journalistic reporting based on data. Practical orientation of the course will be supplemented with a historical perspective on how the data journalism has developed and with theoretical critiques of the increased and supposedly objective reliance on quantification and digital databases, which are gaining in influence in how societies are organised (including topics such as critique and ethical aspects of ideology of mass data, digital positivism, use of algorithmic logic in everyday life and others).

Intended learning outcomes:

- Students will get to know the basics of data journalism. - They will gain knowledge on the potential sources of databases and examples of good practice and gain skills on how to collect, clean, analyse, interpret and visualise collected data. - Students will be capable of using basic tools for statistical analysis, queries in databases and data visualisation. - They will gain skills on journalistic, which are necessary for identifying stories in data and competently report about data. - Students will be able to critically assess and describe ethical and other dillemas, which are emerging with quantification and increased influence of society that bases its decisions on quantitative data. - They will get knowledge on the role of Big Data in digitalised society, algorithmisation and dilemmas opened by these changes.

Learning and teaching methods:

Lectures, individual and/or group study assignments with assistance of the teacher

Assessment

66,7 % - In-depth journalistic article 33,3 % - Shorter writing essays and exercises

Obligatory literature

Additional literature