News

Tapping Women’s Passion for Technology in Latin American Newsrooms

Chicas Poderosas [nid:47352] As interactive designer Mariana Santos prepared to introduce her project designed to bring more women into tech roles in news at a Hacks/Hackers Meetup in Santiago, Chile, the organizers warned her not to expect much of a turnout on a cold, wet night.

But instead of speaking to a handful of attendees, Santos addressed a packed university auditorium.

Interactive Map Tracks Attacks on Journalists in Iraq

With 151 killings of journalists since 1992, including 93 unresolved murders, Iraq remains one of the most dangerous places to work in news.

To track attacks on journalists in the country, Ibrahim Alsragey, an Iraqi reporter who directs the Baghdad-based Journalists Rights Defense Association, recently launched an online map.

Why Journalists Need to Understand “The Data on our Data”

Now that we know that Dropbox snoops in our files and that Google shares our data with the NSA and the FBI, journalists must acquire new skills to avoid leaving a trace behind or let others track anonymous sources.

Why Data Ownership Matters to Journalism

The narrative about big data often focuses on their vigor and potential. The possibilities of using big data for civic good are, in fact, exciting. Big data are used for everything from improving crisis response during natural disasters like Hurricane Sandy to providing mobile banking to Africa’s poorest citizens.

Citizen Journalism Gives the People of the Niger Delta a Voice

Somewhere far from the capital city, far from most newsrooms, and, for that matter, most news consumers, a dilapidated hospital stops functioning. Maybe it happened because the faltering power system failed, or maybe the unpaid staff members finally quit. Either way, the result is the same: people in a remote place just lost their access to healthcare.

In the city, people start noticing when the lines at the local health facility grow longer with people from the countryside who have come because they have nowhere to go for treatment back home.

African Health Association Boosts Skills and Coverage Across the Continent

One year after its launch, a new association is providing an important platform for journalists across Africa to work together to meet the challenges of covering life- and-death issues.

On a continent where spreading the news of health threats and scientific advances is critical, the African Health Journalists Association (AHJA) gives reporters a chance to share resources and knowledge, tap health experts and identify common needs.

“Journalists are stronger when they are in a group,” said Declan Okpalaeke, an award-winning Nigerian journalist, who was elected chairman at the association’

Twenty Finalists Emerge in $1 Million Story Challenge

Nairobi, Kenya - Twenty journalists have been shortlisted as finalists in the $1 million African Story Challenge, a new programme of reporting grants to encourage innovative, multi-media storytelling that aims to improve the health and prosperity of Africans.

The two-year project encourages journalists to experiment with new content ideas and ways to engage audiences through mobile technology, social media and other innovative tools.

Reporting Contest Leads to Rise in Polio Vaccines in Ethiopia

At a health center in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, a mother carries her child while waiting in line for him to receive a meningitis vaccine. “I have heard from the media about meningitis that it can physically disable or kill a child,” says the mother, Seble Yihun. Previously, she might have waited for a health extension worker to come to her home with the vaccine. But, she said, “I also heard health care centers are getting short of vaccines.

Empowering Women in Journalism and Tech in Latin America

Working in newsrooms with a multidisciplinary team of developers, journalists and designers became my everyday life when I was part of the Guardian Interactive team over the last three years.

This began with my former boss, Alastair Dant, who had the vision not only to start the Guardian Interactive team, but who recognized the need to place a woman in a key position on his team. This changed my life.

Mozambique Newspaper Monitors Polling Places With New Citizen Reporting Tool

The editorial team at Mozambique's @Verdade newspaper is gearing up to report on the country's municipal elections in November and national elections next year. With 2,500 polling stations across the country to monitor, it’s a tough job for any newsroom, and especially for @Verdade’s, which has just an 11-person editorial staff.

That's where an innovative citizen reporter network comes into play.

For the first time ever, citizens are helping @Verdade to report on the election process.