Data journalism during the election lacked case studies and quotes from those outside of the Westminster bubble, according to an analysis of over 50 pieces published during the election campaign. But the rare exceptions offer examples of how we can do better election data journalism which sets the agenda and gives voters a louder voice. Read the full analysis here. It is part of UK Election Analysis 2024: Media, Voters and the Campaign, a publication which “captures the immediate thoughts, reflections and early research insights on the 2024 UK General Election from the cutting edge of media a ..read more

Generative AI can be used at all points in the journalism process: this post focuses on pre-production Last week I delivered a session at the Centre for Investigative Journalism Summer School about using generative AI tools such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini for investigations. In the first of a series of posts from the talk, here are my tips on using those tools for idea generation. Generative AI tools may not be entirely reliable, but that doesn’t mean that they’re not useful. Journalism, after all, is about more than just gathering information: reporters also need to generate story ideas, id ..read more

Machine learning and Natural Language Processing (NLP) are two forms of artificial intelligence that have been used for years within journalism. In this video, part of a series of video posts made for students on the MA in Data Journalism at Birmingham City University, I explain how both technologies have been used in journalism, the challenges that journalists face in using them, and the various concepts and jargon you will come across in the field. PS: The MA courses at BCU have an open day this month: you can register here. The examples mentioned in the video include: Sky’s royal wed ..read more

Investigative journalists have been among the earliest adopters of artificial intelligence in the newsroom, and pioneered some of its most compelling — and award-winning — applications. In this first part of a draft book chapter, I look at the different branches of AI and how they’ve been used in a range of investigations. Investigative journalism’s close relationship with data journalism and open source intelligence (OSINT) provides fertile ground for experimentation with AI, and while the explosion of generative AI has opened up further territory for innovation, investigative journalism’s u ..read more

Virtual reality and augmented reality have opened up a range of new opportunities for journalists and publishers — as well as new challenges. In this video, made for students on the MA in Data Journalism and the MA in Media Production at Birmingham City University, I explain what types of stories and projects suit these technologies, what to consider when using them, and some useful techniques from those who have worked in the field. The MA courses at BCU have an open day in June: you can register here. You can find links to all of the examples used in the video on the YouTube page. This ..read more

Explainers are one of the most widely used forms of ‘evergreen’ content. In this unpublished extract from the latest edition of the Online Journalism Handbook, removed due to word limit, I explore why they are so popular, what types of subject are suitable, and how explainers are structured. What is ‘evergreen’ content? “Evergreen” is a term used to refer to stories that have a longer shelf life than standard news stories, generating a more steady (compared to news) number of pageviews year-in, year-out — especially if they relate to a consistently popular search term (think “How to replace a ..read more

A few months ago I delivered a webinar for the European Data Journalism Network and DataNinja about the range of ways that journalists can use ChatGPT and other generative AI tools — from idea generation and mapping systems to help with spelling and coding — and what issues they need to be aware of. The video is now available online and you can watch it below ..read more

In this latest post in the FAQ series, I’ve been asked to help answer a question on the “ethical dilemmas faced by news organisations when considering the use of AI in reporting stories“. A good place to start when looking at the ethical dilemmas surrounding a new technology is to take existing ethical issues in journalism and consider how a new technology — in this case generative AI — impacts on those. Those would include things like: Accuracy  Objectivity Public interest vs privacy/private interest Editorial independence Holding power to account Providing a forum for public debate Eng ..read more

Planning an investigation, or any larger editorial project, raises its own particular challenges — but if you know where to look, you can find resources that are especially useful in anticipating and tackling those. This video, made for students on the MA in Data Journalism at Birmingham City University, introduces and explores two such resources: Mark Lee Hunter‘s story-based inquiry method; and breaking down an investigation into five roles; . It also touches on issues to consider in undercover reporting or the use of subterfuge. Further video clips of Mark Lee Hunter and Luuk Sengers ..read more

Photo: Ivo Mayr, CORRECTIV.Europe The CORRECTIV.Europe project, founded by German investigative media outlet Correctiv, aims to help local journalism publish data stories who wouldn’t otherwise have the time or money to do it. Cristina Puerta speaks to its editor-in-chief Olaya Argüeso. “[CORRECTIV.Europe] is about giving the European citizens a feeling that they are on the same boat together”, editor-in-chief Olaya Argüeso explains. Local journalism, she says, has been “neglected”, and it is now, when people suffer the consequences of global phenomena — for example, climate change because of ..read more