We have compiled a list of some of the leading resources and tools that are available for those starting out in data journalism.
This list will be updated over time. You might want to consult our Data journalism glossary to look up some of the terms that appear below.
Websites and organisations:
The following are websites offering resources, training and suggestions for data journalism tools.
The Data Journalism Handbook / European Journalism Centre (EJC)
- About: The EJC offers extensive resources, including The Data Journalism Handbook, training programmes, and the annual Data Journalism Awards (now Sigma Awards).
- Website: https://datajournalism.com/
International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ)
- About: Known for global investigative projects such as the Panama Papers, ICIJ provides tools and guides for working with large datasets in journalism.
- Website: https://www.icij.org/
The Center for Investigative Reporting / Reveal
- About: Reveal often integrates data journalism into its investigations and offers resources on how to leverage data for storytelling.
- Website: https://revealnews.org/
The Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) / NICAR (National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting)
- About: IRE runs NICAR, a premier organisation for data journalism training, conferences, and datasets. They also provide hands-on workshops and tools.
- Website: https://www.ire.org/
- NICAR-specific: https://www.ire.org/nicar/
Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN)
- About: Offers resources, guides, and tools for data-driven journalism, especially in investigative reporting. Regularly hosts webinars and publishes data journalism toolkits.
- Website: https://gijn.org/
Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (RISJ):
- About: This organisation conducts research on journalism and media trends, providing valuable insights and reports. Their Digital News Report is particularly useful.
- Website: https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/
Pew Research Center:
- About: Pew Research Center conducts extensive research on social, demographic, and political trends, including media consumption and public opinion. Their data is often valuable for context and background.
- Website: https://www.pewresearch.org/
Columbia Journalism School – Tow Center for Digital Journalism:
- About: This center researches the impact of digital technology on journalism, providing reports and analysis on emerging trends and tools.
- Website: https://journalism.columbia.edu/
Bellingcat:
- About: Bellingcat specialises in open-source and investigative journalism, and they provide valuable resources and methodologies for verifying information and analysing data.
- Website: https://www.bellingcat.com/
- Datawrapper Academy
- About: While primarily a data visualisation tool, Datawrapper also offers tutorials, guides, and resources on building effective data-driven stories.
- Website: https://blog.datawrapper.de/
Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas
- About: Runs affordable online courses, many focused on data journalism, visualisation, and digital reporting techniques.
- Website: https://journalismcourses.org/
R Journalism (Subreddit for Data Journalism)
- About: An active online community where data journalists share tips, tools, and projects. Great for peer learning and staying current.
- Website: https://www.reddit.com/r/DataJournalism/
OpenNews
- About: Connects developers, designers, and data journalists working in newsrooms. Offers fellowships, events, and open-source tools.
- Website: https://opennews.org/
Tools for general data journalism
Below is a list of tools used by data journalists. They cover data gathering, cleaning, analysis, and visualisation. These tools are great for both beginners and experienced data journalists:
Data collection & scraping tools
- Tabula: (Extract tables from PDFs) https://tabula.technology/
- Web scraper Chrome extension: (Browser-based web scraping tool) https://www.webscraper.io/
- Google Sheets: ImportXML, ImportHTML, and ImportData functions are powerful for scraping web data. https://www.google.com/sheets/about/
- Wayback Machine: For finding historical web data or removed pages https://archive.org/web/
Data cleaning & preparation
- OpenRefine: Powerful tool for cleaning messy datasets and transforming formats. https://openrefine.org/
- Trifacta Wrangler (Cloud free version): Data cleaning and shaping tool (registration required) https://www.trifacta.com/products/wrangler/
- Open Data Institute Labs: Validate CSV files for errors and formatting issues. https://csvlint.io/
Data visualisation tools
- Datawrapper: Create charts, maps, and tables easily. https://www.datawrapper.de/
- Flourish: Interactive graphics and storytelling visuals. https://flourish.studio/
- Chartbuilder: (Quartz’s open-source chart tool) https://github.com/Quartz/Chartbuilder
- RawGraphs: Great for creating complex data visualisations (exports as SVG). https://app.rawgraphs.io/
- Tableau Public: A powerful data visualisation tool that allows you to create interactive dashboards and visualisations. The public version is free for public data. https://www.tableau.com/solutions/web-data-sources
Mapping tools
- Google My Maps: Simple mapping tool for plotting points or routes. https://www.google.com/maps/d/
- Kepler.gl: Advanced geospatial analysis and visualisations. https://kepler.gl/
- QGIS (Free, open-source GIS software): Desktop software for serious mapping projects. https://qgis.org/en/site/
Data analysis & statistics tools
- Google Sheets: Built-in analysis, pivot tables, and scripting. https://www.google.com/sheets/about/
- Python (with pandas, matplotlib, seaborn): Free programming tools for serious data analysis. https://www.python.org/
- R Project (Statistical computing and graphics): https://www.r-project.org/
Fact-checking & verification tools
- TinEye: Reverse image search for verifying photos. https://tineye.com/
- Google Fact Check Explorer: Search verified fact-checks globally. https://toolbox.google.com/factcheck/explorer
Other handy tools
- TimelineJS: Create interactive timelines. https://timeline.knightlab.com/
- StoryMapJS: Tell stories with maps and multimedia. https://storymap.knightlab.com/
- Otter.ai (Free tier for transcription): https://otter.ai/
- Excalidraw: Sketch quick diagrams or workflows. https://excalidraw.com/
- Jupyter Notebooks: An open-source web application that allows you to create and share documents that contain live code, equations, visualisations, and narrative text. https://jupyter.org/
Tools for specialist reporters and correspondents
- Climate, environment & energy
- Global Forest Watch: Deforestation and land-use data, interactive maps https://www.globalforestwatch.org/
- NASA Earthdata: Access satellite imagery, climate, and environmental datasets. https://earthdata.nasa.gov/
- Carbon Brief: Data-driven analysis on climate science and energy policy. https://www.carbonbrief.org/
- Climate Data Online (NOAA): U.S. climate data including historical weather records. https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cdo-web/
- Health, medicine & pandemics:
- World Health Organization (WHO) Data: Global health statistics and disease surveillance. https://www.who.int/data
- Our World in Data (OWID): COVID-19, vaccines, and global health datasets. https://ourworldindata.org/
- CDC Data & Stats: U.S. public health datasets including mortality, diseases, and surveillance. https://data.cdc.gov/
- IHME Global Health Data: Health metrics and disease burden visualisations. https://www.healthdata.org/
- Finance, business & economy
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) EDGAR Database: Corporate filings, financial reports, executive compensation. https://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml
- World Bank Open Data: Economic and development datasets globally. https://data.worldbank.org/
- IMF Data Portal: Macroeconomic and financial data from the International Monetary Fund. https://data.imf.org/
- OpenCorporates: Global corporate registries and company data. https://opencorporates.com/
- Crime, justice & human rights
- Bureau of Justice Statistics (U.S.): Criminal justice datasets, prison data, and law enforcement stats. https://bjs.ojp.gov/
- UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC): Global crime, drug, and human trafficking data. https://dataunodc.un.org/
- The Marshall Project – Data Resources: Journalism and data on criminal justice in the U.S. https://www.themarshallproject.org/
- Politics, elections & government transparency
- Google Public Data Explorer: Visualisation of world development, economy, and politics datasets. https://www.google.com/publicdata/directory
- U.S. Census Bureau: Demographic, housing, and political district data. https://data.census.gov/
- OpenSecrets: U.S. campaign finance, lobbying, and political donation tracking. https://www.opensecrets.org/
- VoteSmart: Track political candidates, voting records, and campaign donors. https://justfacts.votesmart.org/
- General data search & repositories
- Google Dataset Search: Search datasets across thousands of open data portals. https://datasetsearch.research.google.com/
- Kaggle Datasets: Public datasets for machine learning, data journalism, and analysis. https://www.kaggle.com/datasets
- U.S. Data.gov: Access to open datasets from U.S. government agencies. https://www.data.gov/
- Humanitarian Data Exchange (HDX): Global crisis and humanitarian data. https://data.humdata.org/
Considerations for using free tools:
- Data privacy: Be mindful of data privacy when using free tools, especially when working with sensitive information.
- Learning curves: Some powerful free tools might have a steeper learning curve than paid alternatives.
- Community support: Look for tools with active communities, as this can provide valuable support and resources.
By combining these free resources, you can build a strong foundation in data journalism without breaking the bank.
