Trainings or Modules

In 2014, NICAR introduced data journalism exercises for academics interested in teaching data journalism but in need of a little help. These promise to be useful to journalism instructors who would like to teach data.

The benefit of NICAR and other journalism training organizations could go well beyond the modules, though. New tools are developing quickly, and it is critical for faculty to continue to grow, learn, and change as the field itself develops.

In fact, NICAR filled a vacuum that existed because many academic institutions didn’t address new tools or skills. Meanwhile, personal computing tools became more powerful, digital information sources became more commonplace, and news organizations increasingly relied on digital methods of gathering and distributing news. Just as print newspapers were slow to recognize the power of data-driven reporting and the Internet, so too have journalism schools been reluctant to change. Teaching institutions must adapt or risk being unable to fulfill their goals and mission, both to their students and to the profession.