Using Open Data to Sharpen Science Stories
"Many reporters are familiar with the idea of using data to bring nuance and depth to a story. They may draw from public government data, such as census data or COVID-19 dashboards, for example. But ... journalists aren’t widely utilizing the vast troves of freely accessible data that researchers and organizations share online. These “open” research datasets are distinct from other types of data in a journalist’s toolkit, including data collected via Freedom of Information Act requests or scraped from the web. ...
"Taking advantage of open data might seem daunting—especially if you don’t have formal research training. ... But if you know what types of open data exist, where to look, and what questions to ask experts, these data can open a world of possible stories."