25:["$","title",null,{"children":"Guest Talk on Being a Visual Journalist | ohmygaugh-crypto | Observable"}] 49:T58c,All of these positions require some technical skills. To what extent your experience or know-how in these skills should be is variable to the level of the position (intern, associate, junior, mid-level, senior, etc.). Here are some I've pulled from job postings for positions mentioned above: ### Statistics and analysis - Understanding of basic statistics (i.e. margin-of-error, regression analysis or causal inference) - Understanding of machine-learning techniques - Understanding of data analysis tools, such as database management systems (SQL Server or PostgreSQL), statistics software (R, Python) - Fluency with spreadsheets - Ability to conduct original data analysis, - Ability to create statistical models - Familiarity with survey and quantitative methodologies ### Web technology - Knowledge of HTML, CSS and JavaScript, and its libraries (like D3.js) - Functional understanding of the ''full stack'' of web development technologies ### Design - Knowledge of Adobe design software (like Adobe Illustrator) - Some specialities like cartography, animation or data visualization - Knowledge of responsive design, user experience design and technical nuances of the digital landscape - Knowledge of best practices for building stories for mobile devices - Attention to detail ### Journalism - Editorial judgment - Ability to write quickly and cleanly on deadline - Clear thinking and communication4a:T715,These are two character traits that I think help anyone in this field flourish (or survive). If you end up in journalism, it's typically because you're curious about something and you want to tell a story about it. In data journalism, you let data drive the story: - [What Are Runners Doing During COVID?](https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/canceled-races-arent-stopping-endurance-athletes-from-setting-wild-new-records/) - [Which Democratic Candidates Have The Most Twitter Followers In Common?](https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/which-2020-candidates-have-the-most-in-common-on-twitter/) - [Are Ratings On Google Fake?](https://interaktiv.br.de/falsche-google-bewertungen/index.html) (and the [methods explanation](https://twitter.com/lfrkncht/status/1447873256883638272)) - [Why Is Everyone Moving To Texas?](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/23/opinion/move-to-texas.html) The enthusiasm to learn helps to keep you contemporary in an industry where what's being covered constantly changes and the methods and technologies use to tell stories is constantly changing. Here are some examples of storytelling that exceed a simple approach: - [What Does A Sports Betting Parlor Look Like?](https://eu.usatodaysportsplus.com/story/sports-betting/2022/03/07/interactivestory-experienceid-betting/6892177001/) - [What Is Solitary Confinement Like In America?](https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2016/apr/27/6x9-a-virtual-experience-of-solitary-confinement) - [Why Is Social Distancing So Important?](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/04/14/science/coronavirus-transmission-cough-6-feet-ar-ul.html) - [What Did Tulsa Looked Like Before The Massacre?](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/05/24/us/tulsa-race-massacre.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article)4b:[{"id":"7f64dbb901b266150ae2e455d0eec26013099bcca9358abd025e05949adb86108b729cac30a9d5f55cfc4b9d89d000c160d4b8219e40cdd0729866f14991c98b","href":"https://static.observableusercontent.com/files/7f64dbb901b266150ae2e455d0eec26013099bcca9358abd025e05949adb86108b729cac30a9d5f55cfc4b9d89d000c160d4b8219e40cdd0729866f14991c98b","name":"trajectory.png","type":"image/png","lastModified":1740399033289.485,"size":117646},{"id":"16a18572cd40d3c8d1b69efed2120e22f9b8db1239cad57bf60d578eaf70b889832c7d6c7ba59faffbc9bddc46fe97b9a3326d0adf4051fcb1641472b399b22d","href":"https://static.observableusercontent.com/files/16a18572cd40d3c8d1b69efed2120e22f9b8db1239cad57bf60d578eaf70b889832c7d6c7ba59faffbc9bddc46fe97b9a3326d0adf4051fcb1641472b399b22d","name":"data_design_code.png","type":"image/png","lastModified":1740399033289.485,"size":3074251},{"id":"644d551b6145d2d739f32ee8cb6b2e30789ea826efb0890dfd7ecb4b029a8446ab2f033d97465e0f7e0a995645e7e4b97b7d8acff1cc9b86d39bf4275b12ca3b","href":"https://static.observableusercontent.com/files/644d551b6145d2d739f32ee8cb6b2e30789ea826efb0890dfd7ecb4b029a8446ab2f033d97465e0f7e0a995645e7e4b97b7d8acff1cc9b86d39bf4275b12ca3b","name":"charts-collection.png","type":"image/png","lastModified":1740399033289.485,"size":865369},{"id":"3ad7ed7ae34dc9a1050d0c5fd6942b4d57f2a7b12396a45093f04615fde4d7a68b394e1c17a1d77b7e67c2c2da9679807c62d8aafa4f04baeff3c87529defee0","href":"https://static.observableusercontent.com/files/3ad7ed7ae34dc9a1050d0c5fd6942b4d57f2a7b12396a45093f04615fde4d7a68b394e1c17a1d77b7e67c2c2da9679807c62d8aafa4f04baeff3c87529defee0","name":"site.gif","type":"image/gif","lastModified":1740399033289.485,"size":6941772},{"id":"51bff1524d416a9f7846748f2f79644bef43437c7c4860793c727ed64282ae2ce983a486cdbf135ceebaab2af4093ff75a5dbd2a435f7e6c010d8fc083641529","href":"https://static.observableusercontent.com/files/51bff1524d416a9f7846748f2f79644bef43437c7c4860793c727ed64282ae2ce983a486cdbf135ceebaab2af4093ff75a5dbd2a435f7e6c010d8fc083641529","name":"bylines.png","type":"image/png","lastModified":1740399033289.485,"size":279931}] 29:{"id":"21476a420c3b26b3","slug":null,"title":"Guest Talk on Being a Visual Journalist","thumbnail":"faf11dd1114c0adc9b51d0e1bcc2075394235946175196d25ad94452c872388a","access_level":"public","create_time":"$D2025-02-24T12:10:33.289Z","update_time":"$D2025-02-24T12:10:33.289Z","view_time":null,"first_public_time":"$D2025-02-24T12:10:33.289Z","has_unpublished_edits":null,"fork":{"id":"f1e78fb5eb0ba799","slug":"guest-talk-on-being-a-visual-journalist","title":"Guest Talk on Being a Visual Journalist","owner":{"id":"7d04db8988659721","login":"wiederkehra","name":"Anna Wiederkehr"}},"stars":0,"starred":false,"owner":{"type":"team","id":"601d276f4c853467","login":"ohmygaugh-crypto","name":"","avatar_url":"https://avatars-next.observableusercontent.com/4dfd96e1f1936cb473deb34359d93b0d3642f16ca4ebcdb84be94c157a1e4661","tier":"starter_2024","bio":"","followed_by_you":false,"follows_you":false},"version":661,"publish_version":null,"role":null,"authored":false,"authors":[{"type":"individual","id":"91e527cf3f0cf815","login":"ohmygaugh-crypto","name":"","avatar_url":"https://avatars-next.observableusercontent.com/4dfd96e1f1936cb473deb34359d93b0d3642f16ca4ebcdb84be94c157a1e4661","tier":null,"bio":"","followed_by_you":false,"follows_you":false}],"members":[{"type":"team","id":"601d276f4c853467","login":"ohmygaugh-crypto","name":"","avatar_url":"https://avatars-next.observableusercontent.com/4dfd96e1f1936cb473deb34359d93b0d3642f16ca4ebcdb84be94c157a1e4661","tier":"starter_2024","role":"editor"},{"type":"individual","id":"91e527cf3f0cf815","login":"ohmygaugh-crypto","name":"","avatar_url":"https://avatars-next.observableusercontent.com/4dfd96e1f1936cb473deb34359d93b0d3642f16ca4ebcdb84be94c157a1e4661","tier":null,"role":"editor"}],"comments":[],"custom_thumbnail":false,"trashed":false,"lapsed":null,"subscribed":null,"forks":0,"collection":null,"type":"notebook","body":{"titling":"auto","title":"Guest Talk on Being a Visual Journalist","cells":[{"id":485,"value":"# Guest Talk on Being a Visual Journalist ","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":462,"value":"*This document is a basis for presentations to students around the type of work I do as a visual journalist.*","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":470,"value":"---","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":0,"value":"## Hi! I'm Anna.\n","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":18,"value":"Mostly I'm a designer with a focus on data visualization, but I also have a background in journalism. I've worn a lot of hats: ","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":15,"value":"FileAttachment(\"trajectory.png\").image()","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":58,"value":"Most recently, I was a Senior Visual Journalist at [FiveThirtyEight](https://fivethirtyeight.com/), a data-driven news site for American sports and politics. I wrote words and code, as well as designed interfaces and visualizations for stories. ","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":307,"value":"## What does that look like?","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":616,"value":"FileAttachment(\"data_design_code.png\").image()","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":400,"value":"Very roughly, my work is a combination of the following things:\n
[Data + Analysis]\n
[Research + Reporting]\n
[Design + Sketching]\n
[Code + Implementation]\n
The result being either static charts or larger, more bespoke interactive projects.","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":445,"value":"FileAttachment(\"charts-collection.png\").image()","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":449,"value":"*A collection of static charts for FiveThirtyEight.*","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":343,"value":"FileAttachment(\"site.gif\").image()","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":346,"value":"*An interactive project on the Negro Leagues for FiveThirtyEight.*","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":429,"value":"---","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":533,"value":"## Deep Dive Into A Project","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":562,"value":"*The slides and links are a basis for any presentation including a deep dive of [this project](https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/tom-brady-touchdown-passes/).*","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":432,"value":"*[Slides on the Brady Project](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ChOXmrMRggfQO1eSuXhozWTcFNHWDkOJRnG9b7CWA5Q/edit?usp=sharing)*\n
*[Written overview](https://annawiederkehr.com/Tom-Brady)*\n
*[Twitter thread](https://twitter.com/wiederkehra/status/1480928238465601542?s=20)*","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":436,"value":"---","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":23,"value":"# Career Paths and Skills","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":33,"value":"I took stats in high school and again in college. And maybe, like me, you're thinking: Will I ever use this again? There are plenty of career paths you could take where statistics (technically or conceptually) would play a role in your daily work. Several of them are in journalism:\n1. [Data Journalist](https://observablehq.com/@wiederkehra/guest-talk-on-being-a-visual-journalist#cell-365)\n2. [Visual Journalist, Graphics Reporter](https://observablehq.com/@wiederkehra/guest-talk-on-being-a-visual-journalist#cell-158) <- This is what I do.\n3. [Data Editor, Quant Editor](https://observablehq.com/@wiederkehra/guest-talk-on-being-a-visual-journalist#cell-118)\n4. [Computational Journalist](https://observablehq.com/@wiederkehra/guest-talk-on-being-a-visual-journalist#cell-152)","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":202,"value":"## Technical skills","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":209,"value":"$49","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":247,"value":"## Curiosity + Enthusiasm ","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":251,"value":"$4a","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":25,"value":"## Teamwork + Collaboration","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":38,"value":"All of these jobs, like most careers in journalism, require teamwork and the ability to collaborate well with others. Sometimes collaboration looks like giving and receiving feedback and sometimes it looks like handing off your part of the work to someone else who will contribute to it with their expertise. Still other times it looks like pair-coding or pair-designing in the same file.","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":275,"value":"FileAttachment(\"bylines.png\").image()","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"$undefined","database":"$undefined"},{"id":285,"value":"*Example bylines on stories from Zeit Online, FiveThirtyEight and the New York Times, with multiple contributors.*","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":359,"value":"Collaboration is critical because telling impactful stories can require a lot of skills! Sure, if you can interview and research, you can piece together a story. But maybe that story would better be told as a podcast series, an interactive website or quiz or as a TikTok video. To do those things well you might need great editors and people who understand the medium and can help you build your story within it!","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":176,"value":"---","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":170,"value":"## Appendix","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":187,"value":"### High-level Job Descriptions","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":365,"value":"|Data Journalist/Data Reporter|\n| --- |--- | --- |\n|(Aggregated responsibilities from postings by BR Data, WBEZ, the Associated Press and the Economist)|\n|Conduct investigative research with methods like OSINT and web scraping. Collaborate with reporting teams to identify important data sets and brainstorm coverage ideas. Vet, explore, clean and analyze data for relevance and story potential. Use SQL and statistical computing using R, Python or another scripting language. Experience with modeling statistical relationships and predictive analytics, using both regression-based and machine-learning methods. Familiarity with research designs and quantitative methods. Ability to summarize technical research for a mass audience in concise, stylish prose.|","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":158,"value":"|Visual Journalist|\n| --- |--- | --- |\n|(Aggregated responsibilities from postings by FiveThirtyEight, Wall Street Journal)|\n|Report, research, and create visual data stories as an individual contributor or in collaboration with other reporters and editors under deadline. Identify and pitch visual opportunities for themes and news topics that are editorial priorities or timely off-the-news stories. Help review and provide feedback on other visual stories that are created in the department. Help reporters and editors learn new skills that will contribute to their visual storytelling.|","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":118,"value":"|Data Editor/Quant Editor|\n| --- |--- | --- |\n|(Aggregated responsibilities from postings by FiveThirtyEight and the New York Times)|\n|Evaluate the methodological choices underlying the newsroom's data analysis and statistical modeling and audit the statistical and empirical claims being made. Has statistical expertise and conceives, manages and edits ambitious data-driven news projects based on original analyses and models. Sets the standards for the use of data and statistics across the newsroom.|","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":152,"value":"|Computational Journalist|\n| --- |--- | --- |\n|(From [a posting by Pro Publica](https://www.propublica.org/jobs/computational-journalist))|\n|Write software and conduct analyses. Reverse engineer “black boxes.” Write methodology articles that explain analyses and results to both readers and experts. Work with reporters and other data team members with data brainstorming, acquisition, cleaning, bulletproofing and spot-checking. Wrangle data, including including the unstructured, messy kind. Scrape websites, including stubborn ones. Consume APIs, including poorly designed ones.|","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":421,"value":"---","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":193,"value":"### Contact Information","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"},{"id":195,"value":"wiederkehr.ac@gmail.com • [Twitter](https://twitter.com/wiederkehra)","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"md","author":"$undefined","summary":"$undefined","tool":"$undefined","providerMetadata":"$undefined","attachments":"$undefined","output":"","database":"$undefined"}],"files":"$W4b","stdlib":"1"}} 24:null