The Data Institute 2019

An intensive workshop from The Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting and ProPublica on how to use data, design and code for journalism. From July 22 to Aug 2 in New York City.

Our Materials

Here are all of the materials we used to teach the 2019 ProPublica Data Institute: slides, exercises, links, and homework. This is not an online course and doesn’t have all the context or instruction of a standalone class. Sign up here to be notified of any updates to these materials, as well as any announcements about future workshops.

Want to use our slides? Our teaching materials fall under the same Creative Commons license we use across our site. Get more details here.

Meet the Class of 2019

We’re thrilled to announce the 12 outstanding journalists who will be joining us for the Data Institute.

Noah Arroyo (@noah_arroyo) is the assistant editor at the San Francisco Public Press, where he covers housing and homelessness. His work ranges from the explanatory to the investigative and often takes a data-driven approach.

Ko Bragg (@keaux_) is a Mississippi-based journalist with a focus on kids behind bars and other criminal justice issues. She is an investigative fellow with Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting and has published work with Scalawag magazine and The Appeal.

Daphne Duret (@dd_writes) is an investigative reporter for The Palm Beach Post. She began her journalism career at the Miami Herald, and she previously worked at the Chicago Tribune and St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Daphne has spent her career primarily covering crime and courts. She was born in Chicago to Haitian parents and speaks French, Creole and Spanish.

Bracey Harris (@BraceyHarris) is a K-12 education reporter in Mississippi for the Clarion Ledger. When she’s not squeezing into classroom desks, Bracey focuses on government accountability for the paper’s investigative and enterprise team. A Mississippi native, Bracey studied journalism at the University of Mississippi.

John Hernandez (@johnhrnndz ) is a fellow and research assistant for APM Reports in St. Paul, Minnesota. He works on producing audio documentaries about childhood literacy and the racial climate on college campuses. John is also producing his first podcast episode for “Educate” and is proud to have read hundreds of pages of court transcripts for “In the Dark” at APM Reports. John has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Texas State University.

Joe Hong (@jjshong5) is the education reporter for The Desert Sun, a newspaper in Palm Springs, California. Previously, he covered race and equity issues in higher education at Diverse: Issues In Higher Education. Joe has a bachelor’s degree in comparative literature from the University of California, Irvine, and a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia Journalism School.

Esmy Jimenez (@esmyjimenez) is the immigration reporter for KUOW in Seattle. Before joining public media, she had stops as a legal assistant, Alaskan farmhand and state park employee in the California redwoods. Esmy is a University of Southern California graduate, an NPR Next Gen alum and a Maynard Institute fellow. She was born in Mexico and raised in rural Washington.

Rashah McChesney (@litmuslens) covers energy and environmental policy for KTOO Public Media at Alaska’s Energy Desk, a regional journalism collaboration of public media and print reporters in Alaska. She also regularly collaborates with the Polish photojournalism collective Testigo. Born and raised in Texas, she has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Iowa State University, where she specialized in visual communications.

Hurubie Meko (@HurubieLNP) is a Steinman Fellow at Lancaster Newspaper and LancasterOnline. Based out of Lancaster City, she works as a general assignment reporter covering issues that impact all of Lancaster County. She graduated from American University’s School of Communication.

Gwen Pepin (@Missgsp)is a workshop facilitator, reporter and social media manager for the Westside Media Project, a Chicago-based nonprofit that teaches civic engagement, journalism and digital media skills to inner-city youth of color. She started with WMP as a middle schooler who liked to write and was interested in her community. Ten years later, she’s a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who still feels passionate about reaching fellow Westsiders through storytelling and technology.

Edward G. Robinson III  (@EdwardGRobinso9) is a lecturer at Morgan State University. He is a co-adviser of the student paper, The Spokesman. Before joining Morgan, he worked as a sports reporter at The News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he covered collegiate athletics. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife and son.

Miacel Spotted Elk (@MiacelSelk) is committed to a career in investigative journalism and covering the vital matters within the American West and Indian Country. Currently, she is interning at City Weekly, an award-winning independent weekly, and reporting for the Daily Utah Chronicle. Miacel grew up near Bears Ears and is a Salt Lake City resident. In 2021, she will graduate from the University of Utah with a degree in political science.

Code of Conduct

1. Purpose

We believes the Data Institute should be truly open for everyone. As such, we are committed to providing a friendly, safe and welcoming environment for all, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity or religion.

This code of conduct outlines our expectations for participant behavior as well as the consequences for unacceptable behavior.

We expect all of our instructors and students to help us create a safe and positive workshop for everyone.

2. Expected Behavior

Be considerate, respectful, and collaborative.

Refrain from demeaning, discriminatory or harassing behavior and speech.

Be mindful of your surroundings and of your fellow participants. Alert the Data Institute organizers if you notice a dangerous situation or someone in distress.

3. Unacceptable Behavior

Unacceptable behaviors include: intimidating, harassing, abusive, discriminatory, derogatory or demeaning conduct by anyone participating in the Data Institute.

Harassment includes: offensive verbal comments related to gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, disability; inappropriate use of nudity and/or sexual images in public spaces (including presentation slides); deliberate intimidation, stalking or following; harassing photography or recording; sustained disruption of talks or other events; inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention.

4. Consequences of Unacceptable Behavior

Unacceptable behavior will not be tolerated whether by instructors, students or other staff.

Anyone asked to stop unacceptable behavior is expected to comply immediately.

If someone engages in unacceptable behavior, the Data Institute organizers may take any action we deem appropriate, up to and including discontinuation of any stipends and expulsion from the Institute.

5. What to Do If You Witness or Are Subject to Unacceptable Behavior

If you are subject to unacceptable behavior, notice that someone else is being subject to unacceptable behavior, or have any other concerns, please notify a Data Institute organizer as soon as possible.

The Data Institute organizers will be available to help participants contact building security or local law enforcement, to provide escorts, or to otherwise assist those experiencing unacceptable behavior to feel safe for the duration of the Institute.

Special thanks to the Portland Tech Workshops for creating their Code of Conduct and licensing it under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike.