Steve Doig
steve.doig@asu.edu
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Reporter and editor with The Miami Herald for 20 years
before joining the Cronkite School in 1996.
Expert in computer-assisted reporting for investigations
Some investigations I worked on:
◦ Hurricane Andrew (Pulitzer Prize)
◦ Miami criminal justice system (IRE Award)
◦ Immigration in America (Goldsmith Prize)
◦ Florida prisons (ABA Silver Gavel award)
◦ Money laundering (IAPA Globe & Mail Award)
◦ Medicare fraud (George Polk Award)
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In-depth examination of societal problems or
situations, leading to stories that expose
wrongdoers or bring about calls for change
for the better.
Watchdog journalism
Our motto: “Comfort the afflicted and afflict
the comfortable.”
Our attitude: “If your mother says she loves
you, check it out.”
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A tip from a source
An anonymous call from a whistleblower
A regular news story suggests further indepth scrutiny
Curiosity about something observed
Finding a pattern in a database
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Use of computers and social science
techniques to do stories that otherwise would
be impossible
Normally used to find patterns of interest in
government databases
Also called “database journalism” or
“computer-assisted reporting” (CAR)
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Walter Cronkite in the 1952 election
Don Barlett & Jim Steele in Philadelphia in ’60s
Phil Meyer writes “Precision Journalism” in 1973
Scattering of journalists use personal computers
beginning in the ’80s
First data Pulitzer in 1989: “Color of Money”
NICAR created at University of Missouri
1993 Pulitzer for Hurricane Andrew reporting
Basic CAR skills now considered essential in most
newsrooms
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Official corruption
Vote fraud
Slum lords
Environmental problems
Kickbacks to public officials
Business practices
Dangerous medical devices
Racial discrimination
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Software:
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Browser: Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, et al.
Spreadsheet: Excel
Database: Access
Mapping: ArcMap, QGIS, Google Fusion Tables
Miscellaneous: Text editor, SPSS, et al.
Hardware: Computer, GPS
Social science: Statistics, polling, experiment
Excel spreadsheet
Sorted
Filtered
Math and functions
Pivot tables
Data mapping
Other tools
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Join IRE ($70/year)
“Investigative Reporter’s Handbook”
IRE beat books
NICAR-L email list
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IRE formed in 1975
IRE founding member Don Bolles of the
Arizona Republic was killed with a car bomb
in June 1976
Desert Rats continued Bolles’ work
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Today, IRE has >4,000 members, including
many international journalists
Annual conferences around the US
Workshops and bootcamps (including NICAR
conference)
IRE offshoots in countries around the world
GIJ conference in Brazil in 2013
Next GIJ in Norway in 2015
datadrivenjournalism.net
DataJournalismHandbook.org/
gijn.org