Journalists incorporate data into their reporting for good reason: numbers tell us important, odd and interesting things about ourselves.
Hidden within raw data are insights about our patterns, problems and trends, such as the frequency of our activities, crime levels, how we distribute goods and services, where we have pockets of poverty or wealth, how we use our time and countless other measurable facts.
But as more journalists begin to lean on data as a reporting tool, they need to keep a keen eye on just how effectively — and ethically — they’re using it.
Rodrigo Zamith, an assistant professor of journalism at University of Massachusetts Amherst, does just that.
Steven Potter, Reporter 