Data Journalism Workshop
The department of Communication Arts, in collaboration with the Design Department, organized a workshop on data journalism: a new specialized genre of investigative reporting in which statistics are not simply used as evidence but rather as the central subject of the story itself. This was held on the LAU campus from October 24 - 27.
This form of journalism requires critical skills in data analysis, validation and visualization but also basic knowledge in visual storytelling, interaction design along with investigative reporting techniques. The workshop provided an introduction to the basic principles and tools in all these different fields and enabled faculty as well as students to playfully engage with new research and reporting techniques.
The training session was open to faculty and students of Journalism and Communication as well as Design, Psychology; and Social, Political, and Computer Science. The training was facilitated by 2 members of Jumpstart - a data journalism group working in Tbilisi, Georgia (former Soviet Union). This group has a proven track record in data journalism training and practice.
These sessions are an acknowledgement of the fact that journalism is increasingly becoming an interdisciplinary field that requires effective teamwork between information designers, programmers and traditional reporters.
The workshop marks the first step in a series of specialized training initiatives in preparation for the new B.A. in Digital Journalism and Social Communication next year. These training sessions equip both faculty and students with essential digital research and media production skills.