Faculty Development Programme on 'Data Journalism'

A Faculty Development Programme on 'Data Journalism' was organized by the School of Mass Communication on February 6, 2020.  Mr. Dipu Rai, Associate Editor, TV Today Network and Senior Data Journalist with the India Today Group was the resource person for the event. Mr. Rai is an investigative and data journalist based in New Delhi focusing on data-driven stories and is actively involved in the analysis and visualization of data at India Today's Data Intelligence Unit (DIU).   

More than 80 attendees from universities like Delhi University, Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Communication, Bhopal, University of Chittagong, Central University of Rajasthan, Central University of Punjab, Lucknow University, CSIR-CDRI, Delhi Metropolitan Education, Punjabi University, Patiala, GGSIP University, Delhi, VIT University, Vellore, Amity University, Christ University, GD Goenka University, and many more participated in this FDP.  

The FDP commenced with the inaugural session. Vice-Chancellor Prof. Gautam Sinha,  congratulated the department in organizing an FDP with real-world implications. Pro Vice Chancellor Dr. Ravikesh Srivastava reiterated the importance of Data Journalism and how it can communicate the right message to the audience. 

Welcoming all participants and introducing them to Mr. Dipu Rai, moderator Ms. K.N Singha proceeded to declare the session open. Mr. Rai started the discussion by introducing the modalities and techniques of the newly emergent field of Data Journalism to teachers and researchers such that they can equip future media professionals to meet with fast-changing industry demands, thereby increasing employability. He demonstrated the processes involved in the finding, collection, scraping, cleaning, analyzing and the visualization of data. He explored the various sources of data available to analyze and write a news report. Mr. Rai then illustrated the techniques of using Excel Sheets and Google Sheets in Data Analysis and use of graphics to ideate and create a news story.

During the second session of the FDP, Mr. Rai trained faculty members on how to analyze the data with the help of Python, anaconda.com, Google Colaboratory, Tabula software, Datawrapper.com and various other tools. Using these advanced analytical tools, he showed how this data can be used for visualization in Newsrooms, Data Visual Perception and Narrative Storytelling. These techniques are increasingly being used in competitive newsrooms all around the world.  

The event culminated with a Q&A session in which the participants asked questions regarding the topic. Mr. Rai patiently answered their queries and encouraged the faculty members to implement these tools in their teaching methodologies. The FDP then concluded with a valedictory session. The chief guest was Chancellor Prof. Gurdip Singh, who congratulated everyone on the success of the event. Dr. Vikash Singh, in his vote of thanks, expressed gratitude to the resource person for his valuable time. Overall, it was an informative session for all participants.