The Data Journalism Podcast

Alberto Cairo, Simon Rogers & Scott Klein

Hosts Alberto Cairo, Simon Rogers and Scott Klein will explore the latest in data journalism. You will meet the world’s top data journalists - and you will find out how they do what they do.

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20 episodes
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Avg 36 min
English

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July 29 · 25 min
Mapping International Conflict with Claire Boccon-Gibod
Claire Boccon-Gibod is senior data visualization designer at the International Crisis Group (ICG). ICG’s latest explainer, “The Fight for Sittwe,” maps the current conflict in Myanmar. Claire joins Scott and Alberto to go behind-the-scenes on this timely and detailed piece. The⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠music this episode⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, made with⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠TwoTone⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, represents Google searches for “Sittwe” over the past five years. The Data Journalism Podcast is produced by Ozzy Llinas Goodman. Do you have a new data-driven story or project coming up? Tell us about it at ⁠⁠datajournalismpodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠, and we might feature it on the show. Subscribe to make sure you never miss an episode!
June 24 · 38 min
Data Stories Are Human Stories with Doug Smith
Doug Smith is a reporter at the Los Angeles Times who’s been with the paper for over 50 years. He was also the database editor there from 2004 to 2015. We sat down with him at NICAR to talk about what’s changed in journalism over his time in the industry, and what he’s working on today. Special thanks to the NICAR team for all of their support! The⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠music this episode⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, made with⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠TwoTone⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, represents Google searches for the term “data journalism” since 2004. The Data Journalism Podcast is produced by Ozzy Llinas Goodman. Do you have a new data-driven story or project coming up? Tell us about it at ⁠⁠datajournalismpodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠, and we might feature it on the show. Subscribe to make sure you never miss an episode!
May 27 · 32 min
Showing Your Work with Ben Welsh
Ben Welsh is the news applications editor at Reuters. He joins the hosts to discuss his and Scott’s recent article, “Journalism lost its culture of sharing: Here’s how we rebuild it.” They share the ways they’ve seen open source culture change over time, and advice for increased collaboration across newsrooms. Special thanks to the NICAR team for all of their support! The⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠music this episode⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, made with⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠TwoTone⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, represents Google searches for the term “data journalism” since 2004. The Data Journalism Podcast is produced by Ozzy Llinas Goodman. Do you have a new data-driven story or project coming up? Tell us about it at ⁠⁠datajournalismpodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠, and we might feature it on the show. Subscribe to make sure you never miss an episode!
April 30 · 26 min
Documenting a Transit Nightmare with Greg Morton
Greg Morton is the data editor for The Baltimore Banner. His story, “Transit nightmare: Thousands of Baltimore kids can’t get to school on time” won first place at the 2025 Philip Meyer Awards. We sat down with him at NICAR to go behind the scenes on the project. Special thanks to the NICAR team for all of their support! The⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠music this episode⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, made with⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠TwoTone⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, represents Google searches for the term “data journalism” since 2004. The Data Journalism Podcast is produced by Ozzy Llinas Goodman. Do you have a new data-driven story or project coming up? Tell us about it at ⁠⁠datajournalismpodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠, and we might feature it on the show. Subscribe to make sure you never miss an episode!
April 16 · 26 min
What We Ask Google
Our very own Simon Rogers is coming out with a book on May 5th! It’s called “What We Ask Google: A Surprisingly Hopeful History of Humankind.” Scott and Alberto got a chance to ask him all about the research and writing process, as well as what Simon hopes people take away from the book. You can preorder it now on the Penguin Random House website, or wherever you get your books. Work mentioned in the episode: trends.google.com Some of the book illustrations on Simon’s website The⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠music this episode⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ was made with⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠TwoTone⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, an app that turns numbers into tunes. The Data Journalism Podcast is produced by Ozzy Llinas Goodman. Do you have a new data-driven story or project coming up? Tell us about it at ⁠⁠datajournalismpodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠, and we might feature it on the show. Subscribe to make sure you never miss an episode!
April 1 · 49 min
DJP LIVE! with ProPublica’s data team
The Data Journalism Podcast went live at the NICAR conference! On March 7, Simon, Scott and Alberto spoke with the team behind ProPublica’s Meyer Award-winning series, “Life of the Mother.” Reporter Andrea Suozzo and Deputy Data Editor Hannah Fresques go behind-the-scenes on their investigation into preventable deaths after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Plus, a montage of mini-interviews from the halls of NICAR! You can find ProPublica’s full “Life of the Mother” series on their website, at propublica.org/series/life-of-the-mother. The Github page for the project is available at github.com/propublica/tx-pregnancy-loss-sepsis-analysis. Special thanks to the NICAR team for all of their support! The⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠music this episode⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, made with⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠TwoTone⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, represents Google searches for the term “data journalism” since 2004. The Data Journalism Podcast is produced by Ozzy Llinas Goodman. Do you have a new data-driven story or project coming up? Tell us about it at ⁠⁠datajournalismpodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠, and we might feature it on the show. Subscribe to make sure you never miss an episode!
March 17 · 41 min
Data for Everyone: The Open Visualization Academy
The Open Visualization Academy is a new open-access education project, spearheaded by our very own Alberto Cairo! It launched last month, and two of the other instructors, Hannah Dormido and Frank Elavsky, join us to talk about their courses. Check out the project at openvisualizationacademy.org. The⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠music this episode⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, made with⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠TwoTone⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, represents Google searches for “data visualization.” The Data Journalism Podcast is produced by Ozzy Llinas Goodman. Do you have a new data-driven story or project coming up? Tell us about it at ⁠⁠datajournalismpodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠, and we might feature it on the show. Subscribe to make sure you never miss an episode!
January 29 · 23 min
Data journalism in the face of ICE and subzero temperatures in MN
MaryJo Webster is data editor at the Minnesota Star Tribune. She joins Alberto, Scott and Simon to talk about her team’s ongoing coverage of federal immigration troops deployed in Minnesota. They discuss analyzing data in a breaking news environment, and what reporters in other places can learn from the Star Tribune’s approach. Subscribe to the Minnesota Star Tribune to read more of their coverage. Work mentioned in the episode: Homeland Security presence in Minnesota dwarfs Twin Cities’ largest police forces Wave of immigrants file lawsuits to fight ICE detention The Trump administration calls them the ‘worst of the worst.’ Here’s what we found. Deportation Data Project TRAC immigration records Data Mindset for Editors course The⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠music this episode⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, made with⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠TwoTone⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, represents Google searches for “Minneapolis” in recent weeks. The Data Journalism Podcast is produced by Ozzy Llinas Goodman. Do you have a new data-driven story or project coming up? Tell us about it at ⁠⁠datajournalismpodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠, and we might feature it on the show. Subscribe to make sure you never miss an episode!
January 5 · 44 min
A Look Ahead to 2026
As a new year begins, Alberto, Scott and Simon reflect on the broader state of the industry. They discuss dataviz favorites from 2025, what they're working on in 2026, and thoughts on the upcoming year in data journalism. Work mentioned in the episode: Computation + Journalism conference "Organ Transplant System 'in Chaos' as Waiting Lists Are Ignored" "The Legislative Network Behind State Trans Laws" Copy, Paste, Legislate project "The Men Trump Deported to a Salvadoran Prison" "Buildings wrapped in solid gasoline" Scott’s Nieman prediction Empire of AI by Karen Hao The AI Con by Emily M. Bender and Alex Hanna Predatory Data by Anita Say Chan Disabling Intelligences by Rua M. Williams AI Engineering by Chip Huyen What We Ask Google by Simon Rogers (!!) Open Visualization Academy CUNY AI Journalism Builders Lab The⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠music this episode⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, made with⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠TwoTone⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, represents Google searches for "data storytelling" overtaking those for "data journalism." The Data Journalism Podcast is produced by Ozzy Llinas Goodman. Do you have a new data-driven story or project coming up? Tell us about it at ⁠datajournalismpodcast@gmail.com⁠, and we might feature it on the show. Subscribe to make sure you never miss an episode!
Nov 25, 2025 · 41 min
Launching the Trans News Initiative
The Trans News Initiative is a new project that tracks and analyzes news coverage of trans communities in the U.S. Our very own Alberto Cairo helped create it, and this week we're joined by three other guests who made it happen: Kae Petrin, Caitlyn Ralph, and Jan Diehm. Check it out at ⁠TransNewsInitiative.org⁠. Caitlyn Ralph is the studio director and partner at Polygraph, The Pudding's in-house agency. Jan Diehm is a journalist-engineer at The Pudding. Kae Petrin is a data and graphics reporter for Civic News Company. The⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠music this episode⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ was made with⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠TwoTone⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, based on data from the Trans News Initiative. The Data Journalism Podcast is produced by Ozzy Llinas Goodman. Do you have a new data-driven story or project coming up? Tell us about it at datajournalismpodcast@gmail.com, and we might feature it on the show. Subscribe to make sure you never miss an episode!
Nov 14, 2025 · 46 min
Breaking New Ground with the Straits Times
The Straits Times is Singapore’s most widely read print newspaper, and its online presence is full of innovative data visualization projects. Our guests this week — Charlene Chua, Hannah Ong, and Stephanie Adeline — are three of the young journalists making it happen. They join us to discuss their work and how the Straits Times became such a powerhouse of data journalism. Charlene Chua, Hannah Ong, and Stephanie Adeline are members of the digital graphics team at the Straits Times. Their work has recently won awards from the Singapore Press Club, the Society for News Design, and the Society of Publishers in Asia. Work mentioned in the episode: Climate change: How Singapore is saving its shores from rising sea levels How hawker signboards tell the story of Singapore Flight of the common rose: How are Singapore’s butterflies impacted by climate change? How accessible is Singapore? We travel with a wheelchair user to find out. Inside the confusing world of women’s clothing sizes Why handwriting matters ⁠⁠⁠The⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠music this episode⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠ made with⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠TwoTone⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, represents the predicted sea level rise in Singapore by the year 2100. The Data Journalism Podcast is produced by Ozzy Llinas Goodman. Do you have a new data-driven story or project coming up? Tell us about it at datajournalismpodcast@gmail.com, and we might feature it on the show. Subscribe to make sure you never miss an episode!
Oct 14, 2025 · 38 min
Charts as Political Theater
Not since Ross Perot’s famous TV presentations using cardboard charts have we had a national figure who uses data visualization props quite like Donald Trump. This week, Philip Bump joins Scott and Simon to talk about Trump’s use of data, and how politicians more generally approach information visuals. Plus, they discuss Philip’s background, how he measures success as a solo blogger, and the future of AI in data journalism. Philip Bump was a columnist at the Washington Post for more than a decade, where he wrote the newsletter “How To Read This Chart.” Since leaving the Post, he’s continued to cover data in all kinds of interesting ways on his blog, pbump.net. His 2023 book, The Aftermath, covered the future of power as the baby boom generation recedes. Work mentioned in the episode: 9/12 rallies visualization Monty Hall problem simulator (more info on the Monty Hall problem here) “How Trumpworld inflates the perceived danger of the left” Ross Perot using charts on C-SPAN Philip’s coverage of Trump’s Hurricane Dorian chart Philip’s coverage of Trump’s immigration chart from May 2024 and October 2024 Trump and Stephen Moore presentation on BLS data Axios interview with Trump on Covid numbers ⁠⁠⁠The⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠music this episode⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠ made with⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠TwoTone⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, represents votership in US presidential elections since 1856. The Data Journalism Podcast is produced by Ozzy Llinas Goodman. Do you have a new data-driven story or project coming up? Tell us about it at datajournalismpodcast@gmail.com, and we might feature it on the show. Subscribe to make sure you never miss an episode!
Sep 9, 2025 · 35 min
Roundtable: The shifting data landscape
Data analysis is at an inflection point, with new technologies entering the field, and increasingly more practitioners working outside of journalism. This week, Alberto, Simon and Scott reflect on how they got into data journalism, and what’s changed over the years. They discuss how each of their career paths took them into newsrooms — and then out of them again — and identify key takeaways for those looking to get into data visualization today. ⁠⁠⁠The⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠music this episode⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠ made with⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠TwoTone⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, represents Google searches for the word "webmaster" over time. The Data Journalism Podcast is produced by Ozzy Llinas Goodman. Do you have a new data-driven story or project coming up? Tell us about it at datajournalismpodcast@gmail.com, and we might feature it on the show. Subscribe to make sure you never miss an episode!
Jul 8, 2025 · 25 min
Outlier 2025: Dispatch from the data visualization community
Outlier is a one-of-a-kind conference, held annually by the Data Visualization Society. This year it was hosted at the University of Miami, where our very own Alberto gave the closing keynote. In this special episode, Scott and Simon chat with Alberto about the conference, his keynote, and the state of the data visualization industry today. Check out Alberto's presentation here to learn more about his keynote. The⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠music this episode⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠ made with⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠TwoTone⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, represents Google searches for the word “outlier” over time. The Data Journalism Podcast is produced by Ozzy Llinas Goodman. Do you have a new data-driven story or project coming up? Tell us about it at datajournalismpodcast@gmail.com, and we might feature it on the show. Subscribe to make sure you never miss an episode!
Jun 17, 2025 · 40 min
Finding Ourselves in Historic Data
“40 Acres and a Lie” tells the true story behind the Civil War–era “40 acres and a mule” program. It was the result of over two years of painstaking research by Alexia Fernández Campbell, April Simpson and Pratheek Rebala. The project won a Sigma Award and a Philip Meyer Data Journalism Award, and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in explanatory reporting. Alexia, April and Pratheek join Alberto, Scott and Simon to share their research process in detail. They explain how they used historical data to identify breaking news, and how genealogical tools helped them find living descendants of those impacted by the program. The⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠music this episode⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠ made with⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠TwoTone⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, represents historical US Census data on ethnicity over time. The Data Journalism Podcast is produced by Ozzy Llinas Goodman. Subscribe to make sure you never miss an episode!
Apr 22, 2025 · 32 min
Datapocalypse! Are we losing our public data?
Cheryl Phillips is Hearst Professional in Residence at Stanford University’s journalism program, and founder of Big Local News, which empowers journalists with data – and has twice been on Pulitzer prize winning news teams. Now she has devoted herself to empowering journalists with access to the data they need to tell great stories. She joins Alberto, Scott and Simon to discuss the state of public data in the US in 2025, and what her team is doing about it. ⁠⁠⁠The⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠music this episode⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠ made with⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠TwoTone⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, represents the Dow Jones Industrial Index in the week before we recorded this podcast. See if you can guess what happens to it at the end. The Data Journalism Podcast is edited by Ozzy Llinas Goodman. Subscribe to make sure you never miss an episode. Key links from this episode: New York Times: “How Tariffs Work” Reuters: “Tariffs don’t all act the same” Washington Post: “Trump’s reversal actually increased tariff rates”. This one also used data from the Budget Lab at Yale University Data Rescue Project Data Liberation Project Data.gov Archive
S3 · E39
Feb 6, 2025 · 46 min
Chiqui Esteban: inside the Washington Post graphics team and how to visualize opinion
Chiqui Esteban is Design & Art Director at the Washington Post Opinion section. In the first episode with new co-host Scott Klein, he talks to us about the lessons he's learned during his amazing career, from his early days as a student at a famous visual journalism program in Spain all the way to running the Washington Post’s graphics desk, one of the best in the world —and beyond. Chiqui talks about how data journalism and graphics help news stay relevant — and popular—with audiences. ⁠⁠The⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠music this episode⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠ made with⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠TwoTone⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, represents attendence at Chiqui's beloved Cadiz CF football club games. See if you can spot something a little extra in it too.
S2 · E38
Dec 17, 2024 · 55 min
Scott Klein: tales of 2024
It was a year in which a Presidential candidate said a chart saved his life, generative AI changed journalism and we worried about whether the field is getting less innovative. Scott Klein is an entrepreneur in residence at Newspack, helping publishers on WordPress and other platforms do great election coverage by building and adopting innovative tools and by working together. He was previously at ProPublica and at THE CITY. He’s also on the board of Muckrock. He’s based in Brooklyn. ⁠The⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠music this episode⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠ made with⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠TwoTone⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, represents snowfall in NYC's Central Park.
S2 · E37
Dec 4, 2024 · 35 min
David Spiegelhalter: The Art of Uncertainty
David Spiegelhalter is Emeritus Professor of Statistics in the Statistical Laboratory, University of Cambridge and author of new book The Art of Uncertainty We live in chaotic times and David makes that world a little clearer with humour and clarity in this special interview with Alberto and Simon. The⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠music this episode⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠ made with⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠TwoTone⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, comes from David, and represents the death rates of the patients of murderer Dr Harold Shipman.
S2 · E36
Oct 15, 2024 · 23 min
Kae Petrin: data for change
Kae Petrin is a data and graphics reporting at Chalkbeat, Votebeat, and Healthbeat, where they produce stories on education and voting rights. Kae is also a co-founder and part of the leadership of the Trans Journalists Association. In the episode we discuss Kae's work, their view of beat-centric news organizations, and the challenges of K-12 education data. The⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠music this episode⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠ made with⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠TwoTone⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, comes from Kae, and represents truancy rates by different demographic groups.

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