Blog Post

Five data journalism projects win funding from Latin American startup accelerator HacksLabs

Five data-driven projects produced during the regional hackathon La Ruta de Dinero (The Money Trail) will receive support from HacksLabs, the first accelerator of data journalism projects in Latin America.

The projects focus on improving transparency and accountability in Colombia, Chile and Argentina. The regional hackathon, which I coordinated as part of my ICFJ Knight International Journalism Fellowship, took place in 12 Latin American cities and one U.S. city.

A Nightmare Turned Beautiful

Most of us have been through travel nightmares that over time have turned into fond memories. Maybe you were lost for hours while in a place where nobody spoke your language, but you ended up making great friends and learned how to live alone. This is what happened with me.

Civic Patterns is Creating a Common Language For The Builders of News and Citizen engagement apps

While many in journalism are searching for ways to harness their readers' expertise and to use data to tell compelling stories, technologists and NGOs who build civic technologies around the world are asking some of the same questions. Organizations like the UK's MySociety, US-based Code for America, Code for South Africa or Fundacion Ciudadano Inteligente in Chile develop services that aim to improve interactions between government and citizens.

Being A Fellow

It seemed to be an interesting possibility from the very beginning when I filed the application with the United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan. I applied at the last moment of course, as would be expected of me, running off to the general post office in Islamabad and depositing the envelope in person just 10 minutes before the office shut down. Then, I got an interview call. It all seemed surreal, as if it was not happening to me at all.

The idea of going to the United States for the first time and to actually be able to work there for a broadcast media outlet would be no less than a dream for a workaholic like me. The U.S.-Pakistan Professional Partnership in Journalism instantly became the highlight of my very happening and fast-developing life.

ICFJ Organizes “CodeCamp for the Globe” to Strengthen Citizen Voices Through Data

From May 19 through 30, 2014, ICFJ brought together experts from around the world to the Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Center in Italy to find ways to use data to advance quality journalism. Ben Colmery helped organize this key summit.

His report:

There is no question that open data is opening new doors to improve people’s lives. Initiatives by governments, multilateral organizations, NGOs and hacker groups have bolstered its potential by creating a flood of data and apps.

But what, of it all, has shown tangible success? What works, what doesn’t?

Calling All Journalism Professors!

The International Center for Journalists is on to something big with its Back in the Newsroom Fellowship. As one of five professors from historically black colleges selected to participate in the program, the benefit of the exposure just in the first few weeks alone has been immeasurable.

The fellowship draws educators out from behind the walls of their institutions of higher learning and pushes them into the open universe of digital content generation.

São Paulo’s Mural Blog Helps Citizens Shed Light on Neglected Communities

For more than three years, the blog Mural has practiced collaborative journalism, run away from stereotypes and sought quality in local coverage.

Community journalism, citizen journalism, hyperlocal journalism, nonprofit journalism. I do not accept any of these labels. In my assessment, what the correspondents for the blog Mural have done for more than three years is good-quality journalism. Good journalism. Period.

How HacksLabs Will Accelerate Data-Driven News Startups in Latin America

The idea for HacksLabs, a new platform to accelerate data-driven journalism startups, comes from years of frustration and wasted energy.

At every meeting, hackathon or workshop, startups and ideas were born and quickly faded. Traditional media were in crisis because of falling print revenues and an unwillingness to produce interactive and data-driven journalism.

How To Make Open Data Relevant to the Public

It’s time to transform open data from a trendy concept among policy wonks and news nerds into something tangible to everyday life for citizens, businesses and grassroots organizations. Here are some ideas to help us get there:
**1.

To Cover Health Effectively, Journalists Must Look at the Big Picture

When a new health initiative is announced, journalists too often think they have an easy story to tell. They can quote officials on what the project will do and how quickly they expect it to eradicate a disease or improve the health of the people.

But if reporters think they are telling the whole story, they need to think again. These initiatives do not exist in isolation. Placing the new plan in context, and especially explaining where it fits within the overall health system, is critical to informing the public.