| Data Journalism research methods, Fall 2015 JOUR 4101 – E Wednesdays 19:00-22:00 Location: Room 1105 River Building (the TV Newsroom) David McKie 181 Queen Street 1-613-288-6523 (office) 1-613-290-7380 (cell) 1-613-288-6490 (fax) Email: david.mckie@cbc.ca
Week one | Week two | Week three | Week four | Week five | Week six| Week seven | Week eight | Week nine | Week ten | Week eleven | Week twelve | Week thirteen | Tutorials |Data sets | COURSE DESCRIPTIONThe goal of the Data Journalism Storytelling course is to teach students how to find and negotiate for data that is already publicly available, or must be obtained formally or informally through access to information. We will analyse the information using the following: Excel; the data-visualization tools, Tableau Public, Google’s Fusion Tables; the document-annotation software called DocumentCloud; and the mapping program called ArcMap. Taken together, these skills comprise computer-assisted reporting, also known as data journalism. Our textbook will be, “Computer-Assisted Reporting: A Comprehensive Primer”. At the end of this term, students will become adept searching for information, analyzing the material for story ideas, or for questions that could lead to stories. They’ll learn how to use Excel to spot trends, and employ data-visualization and mapping programs to show the patterns and allow readers to interact with the material, such as being able to identify the income level or levels of crime in their neighbourhood. As well, they’ll be taught how to perform spatial joins, allowing them to, for instance, see how many income groups, federal contaminated sites, oil spills, construction projects, discarded needles and syringes and government grants fall within certain municipal, provincial and federal electoral boundaries. These matches, and more importantly the story ideas that are produced, can only be obtained using mapping software ArcMap and Qgis. For instance, spatial joins have allowed journalists such as the Ottawa Citizen’s Glen McGregor to tell the story about the bodies of water protected under the Harper government’s Navigable Waters Protection Act that are in or near federal Conservative ridings. Working with census data, we will also learn how to map variable such as income level, much the same way The Gazette’s Robero Rocha did to help readers visualize the median household income. He also used data to show the locations of several police radar cameras, how many tickets and fines each one collected, and street-level photographs of their locations.The assignments, or stories, will be submitted as blogs in WordPress that will allow for a multi-media treatment. Documents used as reference material will be uploaded to the account that will be created for you in DocumentCloud, annotated, and then embedded into the blogs. Though it’s designed to be a data-journalism-focused research methods course, there will also be a with a heavy emphasis on storytelling, both with words and data in interactive maps and charts. As such, we will begin each class with a story that has appeared in the news: either as an example of how data journalism was used, or how it could have been used. These discussions and the exercises will help students develop new analytical and storytelling skills, driven by data. In addition to our textbook, we will also use tutorials to drive home some of the key Excel and mapping skills that will form the course’s backbone. The course will be divided up into four, three-week modules. Each module will teach the following skills:Excel; Fusion Tables, Tableau Public; ArcMap/Qgis. There will be three assignments ( please see chart below ), building to a final assignment that combines all the skills we’ve learned during the semester. At the end of each of the four modules, there will be an in-class tests worth five percent each. Our textbook will be Computer-Assisted Reporting: A Comprehensive Primer, which is stocked at the Carleton library. Examples stories using data journalismWomen charged after plane disruption prompts military escort http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/plane-gets-military-escort-after-passengers-disrupt-flight/article20231266/#dashboard/alerts WestJet has ‘little tolerance’ for intoxicated flyers (The Globe and Mail)http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/westjet-has-little-tolerance-for-intoxicated-flyers/article20290565/#dashboard/alerts To download disruptive passenger stories, please click here Civil Aviation Daily Occurrence Reporting System (CADORS): Main Menu http://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/Saf-Sec-Sur/2/cadors-screaq/m.aspx To download the CADORS disruptive passenger Excel file, please click here This fire hydrant costs Toronto drivers the most in parking tickets (The Canadian Press and Globe and Mail editorial) http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2014/08/11/this_fire_hydrant_costs_toronto_drivers_the_most_in_parking_tickets.html http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/editorials/vote-fire-hydrant-for-mayor/article20102235/#dashboard/follows/ Pipeline map: Have there been any incidents near you? (CBC News) http://www.cbc.ca/news2/interactives/pipeline-incidents/ Korea: Mapping the dead of Canada’s forgotten war (Global News) http://globalnews.ca/news/938142/korea-mapping-dead-canadas-forgotten-war/ A question of life and death.’ Grieving kin call for median barrier on Waterloo expressway http://www.therecord.com/news-story/4047409–a-question-of-life-and-death-grieving-kin-call-for-median-barrier-on-waterloo-expressway/ Toronto data reveals hundreds of discarded syringe http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/08/15/toronto_data_reveals_hundreds_of_discarded_syringes.html The Windsor Star’s data desk http://www.windsorstar.com/news/data-desk/index.html After federal changes to waterways rules, 90 per cent of protected lakes lap on Conservative shores (The Ottawa Citizen) http://www.ottawacitizen.com/entertainment/movie-guide/After%2Bfederal%2Bchanges%2Bwaterways%2Brules%2Bcent%2Bprotected%2Blakes%2BConservative%2Bshores/7466027/story.html A new view of Edmonton (Edmonton Journal) http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/living-on-the-edge/index.html Battleground B.C.: Election Trends (The Vancouver Sun) http://www.vancouversun.com/news/electiontrends.html A new view of Edmonton (Edmonton Journal) http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/living-on-the-edge/index.html Battleground B.C.: Election Trends (The Vancouver Sun) http://www.vancouversun.com/news/electiontrends.html Federal Parolees Per Capita (The Vancouver Sun) http://www.vancouversun.com/news/parolees-capita.html Explore the data: Toronto bicycle collisions mapped over 25 years (The Globe and Mail) http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/explore-the-data-toronto-bicycle-collisions-mapped-over-25-years/article543684/ Interactive Map: Explore the data behind Toronto’s working poor (The globe and Mail) http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/interactive-map-explore-the-data-behind-torontos-working-poor/article2332885/ METHADONE AND THE POLITICS OF PAIN (The Seattle Times) http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/flatpages/specialreports/methadone/methadoneandthepoliticsofpain.html WHAT YOU WILL LEARN1) How to find data in cyberspace 2) How to use a spreadsheet to analyze statistics 3) How to create a pivot table 4) How to use advanced functions in Excel 5) How to use technical skills such as exporting tables from PDFs into Excel 6) How to use MySQL 7) How to advance your numeracy skills 8) How to use Fusion Tables 9) How to use Tableau Public 10) How to use ArcMap, Qgis and ArcGIS Online 11) How to become effective storytellers using data-journalism techniques
GRADES We will be using a 12-point grading scale with the marks to be as follows, meaning the final mark will be out of 120 with the following breakdown: A+ = 12 A= 11 A-= 10 B+ = 9 B= 8 B-=7 C+=6 C=5 C-=4 COMMUNICATIONS WITH STUDENTSThis will be done primarily through email correspondence and phone calls, given that I do not have an office at Carleton. The protocol will dictate that emailed queries will be answered as promptly as possible, usually within the hour. As such, it will be important for you to regularly check your email account for updates regarding assignments, new data sets or class work. You’ll also be required to use your Carleton account. PROFESSIONALISMWe’ll conduct ourselves as professional journalists. That means attending class, showing up on time; being prepared and ready to make a meaningful contribution based on the preparation work you’ve been assigned; paying attention to your instructor and colleagues and ignoring email correspondence, Facebook, text messages, Twitter, and promptly responding to emails from the instructor. You’ll also be expected to stay on top of current events, which is part of your obligation as a journalist. If you must miss class, please communicate with the instructor via email. If it’s for a medical reason, then you may be required to provide a doctor’s note. If it’s for an internship, then you’ll have to provide details. REQUIRED SUPPORT RESOURCESThe course would be taught in the TV computer lab, using the overhead projector. As the school possesses an ArcMap licence, we are be able to use the mapping software, which is installed on the desktops. The library’s Maps, Data and Government Information Centre is well positioned to provide support to faculties including journalism and communications. OUTLINEWeek One(TOP) – Sept. 2Introduction to the course. Downloading datasets from websites and sorting and filtering them for trends. Read chapters three and four of Computer-Assisted Reporting. To open and save the ACOA tutorial, please click here. Links: Week Two(TOP)Sept. 9What we will cover A review of our sorting and filtering from the previous week An introduction to pivot tables National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc. How to use Excel to reveal stories from spreadsheets Questions and Answers on Data Journalism to Guide You Incident-based crime statistics, by detailed violations Population by year, by province and territory (Number) Population by year, by municipality Notice – Supplementary Information to the 2015 Immigration Levels Plan Syrian Refugees An introduction to using ratios Discussion of assignment due Sept 30 To download the pivot table using ACOA data tutorial, click here. To download the calculating percent of totals tutorial, click here. To download the calculating rates tutorial, click here. Reading: Chapter 4 Week Three(TOP)Sept. 16To download the in-class Excel test, please click here. Further discussion of the Sept. 30 assignment Introduction to MySQL To download the instructions for downloading MySQL, please click here. To download the Logical Functions And IF Statements tutorial, please click here. Qs and As for the assignment which will be due midnight Oct. 2 What is required? A 600-word story using the Statistics Canada crime data we explored in class? A 500-word explanation in a Word document of how you researched the story, including original documents, data and sources, complete with their phone numbers, email addresses and Twitter accounts. An Excel workbook containing the original table and worksheets containing subsets of your data? How is the assignment to be submitted? You will upload the story to a WordPress category that you’ll be assigned. The Word document and Excel workbook are to be emailed to my CBC address as attachments. What am I looking for in the story? A well-told yarn, with a sharp, crisp lead that makes the audience want to keep reading. Avoid using too many numbers. Think about the most important numbers, and concentrate on them. As writing coach Don Gibb once remarked, choose a number as carefully as you choose a quote. All your references MUST be hyperlinked to the original source. For instance, if you are referring to a study that states a certain fact, then there should be a hyperlinked reference to the original document. What I want to see is evidence of solid research. DO NOT LINK TO NEWS REPORTS THAT SIMPLY REFER TO THE STUDY IN QUESTION. Should the story have any interviews? Yes, at least two, including someone who is directly or indirectly impacted by the situation you’re writing about. So get the data work completed early enough to allow for enough time to find the right characters for your story. Should one of the interviewees be an expert? Yes. It could be a knowledgeable police officer, a criminologist or a lawyer. The expert should not be an advocate. Seek out credible, non-partisan voices. Should I have any visualizations? Absolutely. We’ll explore visualizations more in-depth as the term progresses. For this assignment, there should be at least one, preferably a picture of the subject of your story. If you already know how to use other visualization tools, please feel free to use them, though you will not receive extra marks for doing so. Can I submit a draft? Yes. However, because this is a large class, I will accept ONLY ONE per student, and will not accept a draft 48 hours before the due date. Remember, a draft can be point form, or even an explanation of where you intend to take the story, if you’re running out of time. Your assignment should not be your first draft. What is the deadline? Sept 30 at midnight. Anything after that will be considered late and docked half a mark. Extensions will be granted for exceptional circumstances only. However, we must have a conversation. Links A continuation of ratios using Transport Canada’s vehicle recalls data and Ontario’s Public sector salary disclosure data University enrolment Elections Canada Download federal campaign donation data Week Four(TOP) Sept. 23To download the Windows version of MySQL downloading tutorial, please click here. To download the Mac version of the MySQL downloading tutorial, please click here. An in-class Excel exercise Martin Winterkorn, Volkswagen CEO, resigns amid emissions scandal This fire hydrant costs Toronto drivers the most in parking tickets (The Canadian Press) Toronto Parking Ticket Download site Beech Street fire hydrant has netted city $65,000 since 2008 Ottawa Parking Ticket Data A continuation of MySQL Links: Vanishing Canada: Why we’re all losers in Ottawa’s war on data Week Five(TOP) Sept. 30WHAT WE WILL COVER A continuation of MySQL To download the MySQL tutorial, please click here. To download the MySQL queries for the Ottawa 2008 parking data, please click here. To download the MSQL load Mac query for the Ottawa 2008, please click here. To download the city of Ottawa 2008 Fire Hydrant Parking Ticket Data for Tutorial, please right- click here Links: Police report a pot possession incident every 9 minutes in Canada Week Six(TOP) Oct. 7A continuation of MySQL. To download the city of Ottawa 2008-2014 Fire Hydrant Parking Ticket Data for the continuation of our MySQL tutorial, please click here. To download the second half of the MySQL tutorial using Ottawa’s Fire Hydrant Parking Ticket Data, please click here. Week Seven(TOP) Oct. 14To download the in-class MySQL test, please click here. Discussion of the next assignment, whose due date will be determined. Assignment Qs and AsWhat’s the due date? Nov. 13 at midnight. What’s the topic? You have choices: restaurants, parking violations, or anything else you fancy. What many interviews do I need? At least two. One must be an expert; the other must be involved somehow. Do I have to do extensive work in MySQL? No, just the initial data work to obtain the table you want, which can be then Will I be required to use visualizations? Yes, at least two, INCLUDING DocumentCloud. Will I required to hyperlink key references in my text to the original source? Absolutely! Can I submit outlines and drafts? Yes, but given the size of the class, I can only review one version. What do I submit? The same as the first assignment: The 600-word story posted to an assigned category on our WordPress site; Will I be docked half a grade for neglecting to submit any of the required elements? Yes. Remember: Keep it simple. Tell a story!! Week Eight (TOP)Oct. 21To download the first MySQL tutorial using the Ottawa restaurant inspection data, please click here. To download the second MySQL tutorial using the city of Ottawa’s restaurant inspection data, please click here. To download the queries used for the second tutorial using the city of Ottawa restaurant inspection data, Continuation with MySQL To download the zip file containing the city of Ottawa’s parking violation data from 2010 to the June 8, 2015, please click here. To download a tip sheet for querying the parking violation data, please click here. Links Health violations found at trendy Uncle Tetsu’s Cheesecake The Hornet’s Sting ‘I was only gone for two minutes …’ DineSafe cuts rate of sickness To download the MySQL Ottawa restaurant dump file, please click here. Week Nine(TOP) (Fall break)Oct. 28Have a good break!! Assignment: TBA It will be due on Nov. 25 Reading for next class: Chapter seven “Mapping Your Way to the Story” Week Ten(TOP)Nov. 4An introduction to mapping with Rebecca Bartlett and Joel Rivard, the specialists from the Carlton library who will be supporting us during the next few weeks. To obtain the instructions for downloading Qgis, please click here To download the first Qgis tutorial, please click here. Week Eleven(TOP)Nov. 11A continuation of Qgis Repeat the first part of the Qgis tutorial from last week. To download the search-and-rescue data for Qgis, please click here. Working with census data from the city of Ottawa’s open data site To download the city of Ottawa’s 2014 ward shape file, please click here Statistics Canada’s Beyond 20/20 browser. To download, please click here. Census data from Reporting Methods syllabus. Please click here. Links Elections Canada Completed Access to Information Requests (Federal) Freedom of Information Requests Summary (City of Toronto) Buyandsell.gc.ca (Public Works and Government Services Canada tender notices) Government-Wide Reporting — Proactive Disclosure (Treasury Board Secretariat of Canada) http://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/455d4d0a-5d5f-4f60-aa8a-9e36540d21d3 Week Twelve(TOP)Nov. 18A continuation of mapping census tracks To download the cleaned-up version of the city of Ottawa’s 2014 wards file, please click here. To download the Qgis mapping tutorial, using the Ottawa census data, please click here. To obtain the Public Safety document that we requested last week through the federal government’s Links: Refugee board members’ rulings varied widely in 2014, data suggests 2014 Refugee Claim Data and IRB Member Recognition Rates Air France tweet about a diversion to Halifax Air France flight from Dulles Airport is diverted after threats were received Civil Aviation Daily Occurrence Reporting System (CADORS) Incident-based crime statistics, by detailed violations Week Thirteen(TOP)Nov. 25Mapping quiz Outputting files tables from MySQL for geocoding using restaurant inspections To download the restaurant MySQL dump file, please click here. To download the geocoding tutorial using Qgis, please click here. GPS Visualizer An introduction to Geocoding and ArcGIS Online Federal Districts Canada – 2013 To download the search-and-rescue data, please click here. A Tim Hortons mapped out by wards in Google Fusion Table Links:The Bank of Canada’s Inflation Calculator EXCLUSIVE: Search and rescue for false alarms costs millions Qs and As for the final assignmentWhen is the assignment due? Between Dec. 4 at midnight and Dec. 9 at midnight. What’s the word length? 600 words. What do I need so submit? 1. csv file with your table; Since I have to submit my story as a Word file, must I still upload it to the website? Yes. Where should I upload my story? To the category “Data Assignment_Three_2015” How many visual elements do I need? At least three, INCLUDING your embedded census file on ArcGIS Online, and Do the visualizations need to have a title and source? Yes. Will I be penalized for omitting a title, source, or both? Yes! What dataset should I use? The Ottawa census data, combined with the 2014 Ward shape file that you’ve been working with. How many voices does my story need? At least two, including an expert on the demographic trend upon which your story is based. Does an email exchange count as an interview? As a fallback, yes. You should push for an interview in person, or over the phone. If you’re stuck with an emailed response, be sure to indicate it as such in your story. Will I be required to hyperlink key references in my text to the original source? Absolutely! Can I hyperlink to media report? No. Find the original document, or dataset and hyperlink to that. Remember, media reports are frequently forced to issue corrections. So you don’t want to be repeating someone else’s mistake. It’s always better to obtain your information from the original source. Can I submit outlines and drafts? Yes, but given the size of the class, I can only review one version per student. Dec. 2 To download the 2013 federal electoral boundary zip file we’ll To download the csv search-and-rescue file we’ll be using for the test, To open the mapping test in a separate browser, please click here. Continuation of ArcGIS Online Links: Syrian refugees to begin arriving December 10: Government website Flights to Canada for Syrian refugees to start Dec. 10, document says Buyandsell.gc.ca (Public Works and Government Services Canada tender notices) Government-Wide Reporting — Proactive Disclosure (Treasury Board Secretariat of Canada) http://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/455d4d0a-5d5f-4f60-aa8a-9e36540d21d3 Doomed Harper government made 49 “future” patronage appointments NICAR Listserv Tutorials(TOP) From week one: From week two: . From week two: From week three: To download the instructions for downloading MySQL, please click here. To download the Logical Functions And IF Statements tutorial, please click here. From week four: To download the Windows version of MySQL downloading tutorial, please click here. To download the Mac version of the MySQL downloading tutorial, please click here. From week five: To download the MySQL tutorial, please click here. To download the MySQL queries for the Ottawa 2008 parking data, please click here. To download the MSQL load Mac query for the Ottawa 2008, please click here. From week six: To download the city of Ottawa 2008-2014 Fire Hydrant Parking Ticket Data for the continuation of our MySQL tutorial, please click here. To download the second half of the MySQL tutorial using Ottawa’s Fire Hydrant Parking Ticket Data, please click here. To download the third MySQL tutorial using the Ottawa restaurant inspection data, please click here. From week seven: From week seven: From week seven: From week seven: From week ten: From week ten: From week eleven: From week eleven: From week thirteen: From week thirteen: From week thirteen: From week thirteen: Data sets(TOP)From examples in the syllabus introduction: From examples in the syllabus introduction: From examples in the syllabus introduction: From week one: From week two: From week three: Download federal campaign donation data From week two: From week three: From week five: From week six: From week seven: From week eight: To download the zip file containing the city of the city of Toronto’s parking violation data from 2008 to the 2014, pleases click here. From week nine: From week ten: From week eleven: From week twelve: From week thirteen: From week fourteen: |
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