ICFJ Knight Fellowships

How Journalists Can Use Facebook’s Signal and Other Social 'Radars' for News Sourcing

Back in the day, the savviest journalists used police radio scanners to track beats like city and crime. In 2015, we have upgraded to paid, free, even custom-built "radars" that use search, social or open data to generate insights into a) audience interest and response around news events by category, location, device, etc, b) social traction around topics covered by competitors and c) relevant sources or user-generated content around an event or theme.

Most of these are beginning to inform editorial planning throughout the day, alongside leading wires and publishers' own analytics.

How Pakistani Journalists Can Overcome the Challenges of Data Journalism

Data journalism seems to be a scary concept for journalists in Pakistan. They tend to believe it involves learning how to write code, designing graphics using complex software and crunching numbers using hefty, mathematical formulas. There also is a general belief that there is little or no data available.

In fact, journalists do use data in stories about crime, health, business and education, among other areas.

Why the Best Data Tools Engage Journalists While Educating Them

"If you build it, they will come" is the classic line uttered by the character played by Kevin Costner in the 1989 hit movie "Field of Dreams." It tells the story of an Iowa farmer who keeps hearing voices telling him to plough up his corn fields and build a baseball stadium in the middle of nowhere.

He believes that if he does so, the Chicago White Sox team will come to his arena to play. So he does, and they do.

But sadly the Hollywood fantasy-drama with a perfect outcome is worlds apart from the real-life world of tech where things don't neatly follow a script to end on a happy note.

How Newsrooms Can Avoid Government Surveillance

It's bad news for journalists when a government official delivers this chilling message: "I know what you are going to publish tomorrow." Yet, these words are common in many countries where governments are spying on newsrooms and individual journalists.

While independent media are subject to the proclivity of some governments to spy and tap their communications, it is also true that some media organizations don't protect their information from cyber-espionage and technical attacks.

Media organizations are becoming more aware of the need to protect their digital assets, such as databases,