ICFJ Knight Fellowships

Code for Africa Builds WaziMap to Make Public Data More User-Friendly for Journalists

Black smoke churned toward the sky in Nyanga, one of the oldest townships in Cape Town, after protestors set fire to buses there in early September.

Mapping Attacks on Journalists Can Point the Way to Better Security

For many reporters and photographers, it’s pretty common to get the following assignment from their editors: Go cover a street protest, get pictures and video, look out for clashes between police and demonstrators…and be careful.

If this sounds familiar, it’s probably because the recent events in Ferguson, Missouri, have reminded us of the dangers of covering demonstrations on the streets, as reporters have been attacked or arrested during the protests sparked by the police shooting of an unarmed teen.

Hacks/Hackers Media Party: Census Reporter site makes it easier for reporters to use data

For many reporters, working with U.S. Census data is like going to the dentist — you know it’s important, but it often means a painful and prolonged visit to the dreaded U.S. government census website. But since the launch of Census Reporter, reporting on this data no longer has to feel like pulling teeth.

The display of Census facts is light-years away from the way the same information appears on the U.S. government website, where journalists can spend hours sifting through 1,500 tables of data.

Community engagement tips from Hacks/Hackers Buenos Aires Media Party

In a world connected by social media, journalists can no longer serve up the news with the attitude that “we are the experts, and we’re going to give it to you in the format that suits us, in the way that suits us,” said community-building specialist Jeanne Brooks.

Instead, she said, a news organization should engage its audience and create its news and information products--whether those are articles, apps or even a radio station--in response to audience needs.