MaryJo Webster has been a data journalist for more than 25 years and currently heads up the data team at the Minnesota Star Tribune.

Since joining the Star Tribune in 2015, MaryJo has built up a small data team that includes a data reporter and a news developer. Her team often partners with reporters and editors across every department, using data to elevate stories ranging from quick-turn enterprise to the biggest investigative projects. They also build interactives, such as the annual live election results page for readers and internal tools, such as one to help reporters easily access various datasets.

She regularly speaks or teaches at journalism conferences, workshops, or college classes, including the national data journalism conference put on by Investigative Reporters and Editors and the Digital News Academy in Australia.

For the past six years, she has also served as a senior fellow for the Center for Health Journalism’s Data Fellowship program, where she teaches and mentors journalists on what is often their first data-driven story. Prior to that, she spent about 10 years as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Minnesota’s journalism school.

MaryJo spent nine years as a data editor at the St. Paul Pioneer Press. She also spent several years as the sports data editor for USA Today and was the first data editor at the Center for Public Integrity. She started her career as a beat reporter at small newspapers in New Ulm, Minnesota, and later Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Read more here: maryjowebster.com

GUEST SPEAKERS

Helena Bengtsson is the data journalism editor at Gota Media and Bonnier News Local, two regional publishing companies in Sweden with 55 local titles. She previously worked as the data journalism editor at Sveriges Television, Sweden’s national television broadcaster, for 27 years, and has also served as Editor, Data Projects of The Guardian UK between 2014 and 2017. Read more here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helena-bengtsson-1659922/

Natalia Louzau is a data journalist at LA Nación Data, the award-winning team of the 150-year-old Argentine newspaper. She currently works at the intersection of journalism and technology. She teaches Data Journalism in the Master’s program at Universidad Torcuato Di Tella and LA NACION, and Generative Artificial Intelligence for designers at the same university. Read more here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nlouzau/

Chase Davis was an early leader in applying machine learning, natural language processing, and other techniques from data science and artificial intelligence to newsgathering — an interest and skillset he has consistently maintained, especially as generative AI systems have come on the scene. Currently, he runs his own business, Local Angle, a consultancy and development lab focused on helping publishers find enduring advantages in emerging technologies. Previously, he held various roles at the Minnesota Star Tribune, including running an AI Lab and serving as Vice President of Newsroom Strategy and Transformation. He started his career as a data journalist and also spent several years running the interactives team at the New York Times. Read more here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chasejdavis/

C.J. Sinner is the Director of Graphics and Data Visuals at the Minnesota Star Tribune, where she has worked in graphics, audience, and digital writing roles over her 11 years at Minnesota’s largest news organization. Her own work has been part of two Pulitzer Prize finalist entries and one win for contributing coverage during the 2020 George Floyd protests. She previously worked at the St. Paul Pioneer Press and Bismarck (N.D.) Tribune in a variety of audio, video, data and web production roles, and was previously an adjunct instructor at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities. Read more here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cjsinner/