Local newsrooms without the logistical resources of a major news organization can now draw upon the data storage and analysis muscle of the Associated Press to produce impactful news stories backed by complex national data. Some 300 local newsrooms have now availed of the service since 2018.
Kristen Hare explains how the AP’s data journalism initiative helps local newsrooms in this article in Poynter:
“Whenever AP produces a large data-driven project with granular data (for example, with data points for every county or for a large number of cities), we package it up with supporting documentation and customizable queries that news organizations can use to localize the story,” Thibodeaux said. “We deliver the data via the data sharing platform data.world through a special AP organization that includes our data distribution members.”
Often, member newsrooms get the data and the national story on embargo so they have time to work on it. And for complex data sets, the AP offers a webinar to walk users through the data.
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“Data is often the strongest source for a story – it can help lift a story beyond the anecdotal and provide a common point of reference for differing perspectives,” Thibodeaux said. “But far too few local newsrooms have the skills on staff to make the most of the opportunities data journalism can provide.”
Even for newsrooms that have data journalists on staff, the time those projects takes can be a barrier, he said.
“We’ve tried to help lower the bar to entry and expand access to the power of data. The response has been incredible – local newsrooms have used this data to tell hard-hitting stories with immediate impact. The work they’ve done with this data has informed their readers and had a real effect on their local communities, and that’s what we’re all after in the end.”
