New Investigative Tools for Monitoring Social Media Platforms

Social media platforms are among the most difficult sites to scrape for data across the internet. A recent session at NICAR23 unveiled several dynamic new tools — including Junkipedia, a possible CrowdTangle replacement — that can perform a wealth of social media monitoring tasks, from tracking down who is behind harmful ads to identifying conspiracy groups or influencers spreading disinformation. 

Data Journalism Top 10: Protesting the War, Russian Sanctions, Mapping Refugees, and NICAR Tips

Data teams across the globe are still focused on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with The Economist examining the anti-war protests that have brought Russian citizens to the streets. Others have looked at the impact of flight bans, or been producing trackers to monitor and assess the sanctions that have been imposed as a result of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s order to go to war.

What We’re Reading: The Problem with Preprints, Publishing’s Missing Money, and State-sponsored Misinformation Labels

This week’s Friday 5, where we round up our favorite reads from around the online world in English, delves into the perils of reporting on preprint research platforms, a snapshot of end-to-end digital advertising and publishing supply chains, and how the French government took down a “fake news” page after being accused of “overstepping its constitutional role and infringing on press freedoms.”

What We’re Reading: Like Everyone Else, Everything About COVID-19

This week’s Friday 5, where we round up our favorite reads from around the online world in English, includes tips for journalists covering COVID-19, news from Investigative Reporters & Editors about a NICAR20 conference attendee testing “presumptively positive” for the virus, and the latest on media conference cancellations around the world — including GIJN’s own Asian Investigative Journalism Conference.

GIJN’s Data Journalism Top 10: Luanda Leaks, A Disappeared Lake, Animated Graphics, Data Mapping, NICAR

What’s the global data journalism community tweeting about this week? Our NodeXL #ddj mapping from January 13 to 19 finds the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists exposing how Africa’s richest woman really made her fortune, The Washington Post using satellite imagery to show the disappearance of an entire lake in the Philippines, El País sharing the behind-the-scenes process of their work, and Mike Reilley curating a mega list of useful data journalism tools.