Register for new Knight Center webinar in English: “Data-driven Reporting”

Registrations for Data-driven Reporting closed at 11 a.m. (CDT) on July 26, 2011

The explosion of digital technologies has left journalists with a big challenge–the challenge of having to manage huge volumes of data found online, in documents and databases. Data-driven journalism, or database journalism, is a growing specialization that helps reporters use techniques to filter, analyze and present data online in interactive story formats.

Journalists from Latin America and the Caribbean will have an opportunity to learn about “Data-driven Reporting” on Tuesday, July 26, in a two-hour webinar presented by the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas, as part of the series, “Digital Toolbox for Journalists”.

The webinar will be conducted in English by one of the most distinguished experts in this field, Aron Pilholfer, interactive news editor of The New York Times and co-founder of the nonprofit organizations DocumentCloud and Hacks & Hackers.

Pilhofer will explain how news organizations like The New York Times, The Washington Post, ProPublica and Los AngelesTimes are enhancing their reporting with data-driven journalism online.

“I will talk about why doing online data-driven journalism is smart for news organizations that are looking to transition to digital, show examples and talk about some of the ways we at The Times approach doing these kinds of projects,” said Pilhofer.

He will also cover topics such as the availability of “free tools journalists can use to get started, as well as some of the skills they might want to think about adding to their toolbox.”

Aron Pilhofer and his interactive news team at The New York Times combine journalism and technology to produce online reports which make use of social networks and data applications. Many of their stories focus on money, politics and influence. He began this work in 2005 as projects editor of the newly created computer assisted reporting department.

The webinar “Data-driven Reporting” is part of the “Digital Toolbox for Journalists” series that is being offered by the Knight Center to help journalists broaden their online skills.

Pilhofer’s webinar will be taught on Tuesday, July 26, from 2-4pm CDT (U.S. Central Time). Please check the time in your region using sites like this. Registration is open at a cost of $30.

To register for the webinar “Data-driven Reporting,” please click here.

Participants in the webinar are required to have a broadband internet connection in order to access the course materials and follow the two-hour seminar in real time. They must also have an audio connection, either headphones or speakers, in order to hear the instructor. But they need not worry about being data savvy. “This is not going to go over anyone’s head,” Pilhofer reassures, “it’s meant to be an introduction to the concepts, and no coding skills required.”

The Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas was created in 2002 by Professor Rosental Alves at the University of Texas at Austin School of Journalism, thanks to generous donations from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The Center also receives contributions from other donors, including the Open Society Foundations and The University of Texas at Austin. The Center’s main goal is to help journalists in Latin America and the Caribbean improve the quality of journalism in their countries.