TechRaking: Digging the News
Editor’s note: Today’s guest author is Jennifer LaFleur, senior editor for data journalism at The Center for Investigative Reporting
In 1952, Walter Cronkite predicted the US Presidential election for his readers before the poll closed using an analysis of election results on one of our first mainframe computers. Walter’s analysis predicted the election for Dwight Eisenhower, despite polling that said Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson would win.
Today, spreadsheets and databases are commonplace in newsrooms across industry.The tools used to analyze data and to make it available online are cheaper, faster and more powerful. But there continue to be significant challenges that prevent journalists from harnessing this data. Accessing information from governments and institutions remains a significant hurdle for newsrooms in Canada and the US. And when data does become available, journalists still need the tools to unlock the stories which are important to the public.
TechRaking via Hangout with Richard Gingras, the Head of News and Social Products at Google
Over the next two days, the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR), The Canadian Press and Google Canada, are hosting a conference and hands-on learning session called TechRaking Toronto: Digging the News. While Google and the CIR have hosted similar events in the U.S. in the past, we are excited to bring this expertise to Canada for the first time.
Designed for journalists, digital news desks, and broadcasters, this two-day event will explore innovative uses of data in the newsroom and the most recent tools of the trade for digital production and research. We will be joined by nearly 75 Canadian journalists, students and design experts who will participate in sessions exploring best practices to produce groundbreaking investigations. Attendees will be participating in a data journalism design sprint to collaborate on potential projects – one of which will be selected to receive a development grant from a local app developer, The Working Group, to bring their idea to reality.
Our hope is that TechRaking: Digging the News provides a forum for reporters to tap into the enormous potential of data, and to uncover the tools necessary for that essential pillar of our democracy: great journalism.
In 1952, Walter Cronkite predicted the US Presidential election for his readers before the poll closed using an analysis of election results on one of our first mainframe computers. Walter’s analysis predicted the election for Dwight Eisenhower, despite polling that said Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson would win.
Today, spreadsheets and databases are commonplace in newsrooms across industry.The tools used to analyze data and to make it available online are cheaper, faster and more powerful. But there continue to be significant challenges that prevent journalists from harnessing this data. Accessing information from governments and institutions remains a significant hurdle for newsrooms in Canada and the US. And when data does become available, journalists still need the tools to unlock the stories which are important to the public.
TechRaking via Hangout with Richard Gingras, the Head of News and Social Products at Google
Designed for journalists, digital news desks, and broadcasters, this two-day event will explore innovative uses of data in the newsroom and the most recent tools of the trade for digital production and research. We will be joined by nearly 75 Canadian journalists, students and design experts who will participate in sessions exploring best practices to produce groundbreaking investigations. Attendees will be participating in a data journalism design sprint to collaborate on potential projects – one of which will be selected to receive a development grant from a local app developer, The Working Group, to bring their idea to reality.
Our hope is that TechRaking: Digging the News provides a forum for reporters to tap into the enormous potential of data, and to uncover the tools necessary for that essential pillar of our democracy: great journalism.
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