Data Driven 2019

Watch journalists break down one of their most recent pieces of data journalism in 10-minute, rapid-fire presentations. Humour and spontaneity are encouraged – and expected.

Over the past decade, Canada’s effort to improve its open data policy has it consistently ranked among the best in the world. But there are still glaring data gaps in areas that affect a wide swath of Canadians – including health care, hate crimes, and natural resources – contributing to our country’s data deficit. And it can take years – and thousands of dollars – to liberate data from the bureaucratic abyss, as our panel can attest.

Learn how data gaps affect Canadians, and why it can take years – and thousands of dollars – to liberate crucial information.

How about that election, eh? From polls to social media feeds, every election campaign generates – and is fuelled by – enormous amounts of data. The possibilities are endless – so what story do you write? Our panelists discuss how – and why – they covered the election from a data-driven perspective.

Here’s how three Canadian data journalists parsed the enormous amount of data surrounding #el43.

Here’s a dirty little secret: data analysis is one of the easier parts of data journalism. Getting your hands on the information is the hard part, particularly when it’s locked up in a government database.  Our instructors have spent years navigating Canada’s freedom-of-information legislation and are ready to pass on their tips and tricks to you.

Are you scared of spreadsheets? Does math make your mind melt? Get over your fear of figures and join award-winning journalists David McKie and Terra Ciolfe in a data journalism primer that will have you sorting Pivot Tables in no time.

Members of Microsoft News Lab will provide hands-on workshop training on Microsoft Power BI. What is Power BI? Think of it as Microsoft Excel’s “cousin”, specializing in data visualization. It’s powerful, versatile and more importantly, free to use!  Learn to create and publish custom, interactive data visualizations with Microsoft Power BI (Separate ticket required)