Mass COVID burial site in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

5 Post-Pandemic Data Story Ideas for Journalists

Since the start of the pandemic in early 2020, data-driven reporting on COVID-19 has gone through several phases, including infection trends and vaccination rates. Here, a leading Malaysia-based data journalism trainer shares five post-pandemic coverage areas where data reporting can be equally effective.

My Favorite Tools: Venezuela’s Lisseth Boon on Design and Data Visualization

Since her arrival at Runrun.es, Lisseth Boon has conducted investigations on human rights violations, gold trafficking, illegal mining, and environmental crimes, many of them recognized with national and international awards. Her team has also worked with media platforms both inside and outside of Venezuela such as Consejo de Redacción and Connectas in Colombia, Convoca in Perú, and Mongabay. It has also participated in transnational collaborative projects such as the Panama Papers, Fincen Files, Swiss Connection, Lava Jato (Operation Car Wash), Vigila La Pandemia, and Tierra de Resistencia.

Data Journalism Top 10: Climate Disasters, Olympic Running, Russian Healthcare, and Bulgarian Coal Plants

Our weekly project that maps the most popular data journalism stories on Twitter found several environmental projects this week, including a climate disaster in Germany, air pollution in South Asia, and deforestation in Brazil. We also feature more data-driven coverage of the Tokyo Olympics, an investigation into Bulgarian coal plants, and a guide to creating appealing data visualizations based on simple charts.

Data Journalism Top 10: Atlas of Emotions, Carbon Recyclers, Football Long Shots, COVID-19 Endgame, Mister Rogers’ Cardigans

To fight climate change, we need to protect sea life. Whales, plankton, and seagrasses have a key impact on the Earth’s carbon cycle. Our NodeXL #ddj mapping from to April 5 to April 11, which tracks the most popular data journalism stories on Twitter each week, found a piece by Reuters Graphics explaining how these species interact underwater as well as capture and transform carbon. In this edition, we also feature an atlas of emotions by Google Arts & Culture, a look at the COVID-19 endgame by the Financial Times, and some great board games to inspire data visualization enthusiasts.

Data Journalism Top 10: The Rise of Big Tech, India’s Bad Vaccine Data, Why Data Journalists Need Safeguards

Four of the world’s most influential technology companies are based on the US West Coast. Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google have had an enormous impact on our daily lives. But how did Big Tech get so big? Our NodeXL #ddj mapping from April 19 to April 25 found a piece by The Washington Post showing how the success of these behemoths has been fueled by hundreds of acquisitions of smaller companies over the past decade. In this edition, we also feature an investigation into faulty vaccine data publicized by the Indian government, a list of the world’s top 1,000 climate scientists by Reuters, and a look at Europe’s growing rail network.

Data Journalism Top 10: Mission to Mars, Myanmar’s Protesters, Sand Mining, Journalism in Russia

After going through “seven minutes of terror,” NASA’s Perseverance rover managed to successfully touch down on Mars last week. Our NodeXL #ddj mapping from February 15 to 21 found reporting by The Wall Street Journal and Al Jazeera, which offers more insight into the rover’s journey to the red planet. In this edition, we also feature a story about the boom in independent journalism in Russia, an analysis of the future of South Africa’s coal mining industry, and a critique of data visualization’s ability to fully convey the realities of large-scale tragedies.