Guides, tutorials, and insights on data journalism and storytelling
September 27, 2026
Cleaning messy donor names in OpenRefine, one algorithm at a time
Lord Harris of Peckham appears under three different spellings in British donation data — pivot on that column as-is and your totals are wrong. How OpenRefine's clustering actually works: fingerprints, n-grams, phonetic matching, and the decisions no algorithm will make for you.
May 6, 2026
Read the words as critically as you read the numbers
Exploring EU health spending data with Claude Code, the model framed government healthcare as money coming "out of people's pockets" — a slightly American way of looking at it. A look at the cultural bias inherent in LLMs and why we should treat their interpretations with the same scepticism as any other source.
March 31, 2026
Let the computer track your units so you don't have to
Shifting decimal points between gigatons and megatons is how mistakes happen. Investigative journalist Thomas Goorden explains how attaching units to your calculations — in Julia, Python, or R — lets the computer handle conversions automatically.
February 18, 2026
Why percentages mislead, and what journalists can do about it
Percentages are everywhere in the news, but they often mislead. Jonathan Stoneman explores why '% more likely' is bad journalese, how percentages don't behave like normal numbers, and why context is always key in data reporting.
December 3, 2025
Color theory fundamentals and 4 essential tools for better palettes
Learn how to choose the perfect color palette for data visualization using HSL color theory. Discover why lightness matters most for distinguishing colors and explore 4 powerful tools for creating accessible, harmonious color schemes.
October 22, 2025
Building an AI-powered RSS digest with robots 🤖
Learn how to build your own AI-powered RSS newsletter digest that aggregates content from multiple sources into a single weekly summary, delivered straight to your inbox.
October 6, 2025
Skills and tools to consider when leveling up your data game 💪
When working with databases and large datasets, the way we work really depends on our current capabilities and research needs. Learn about different skill levels and tools—from web interfaces to programming languages—and discover AI chatbots that can help you level up your data journalism skills.
More articles coming soon!
