Scraping Heist
Scraping Heist
The following 2 books are included in this bundle...
About the Bundle
Get the data through scraping - and then turn it into stories with a quick heist! Buy both Scraping for Journalists and The Data Journalist Heist together for a discounted price.
About the Books
Scraping for Journalists (2nd edition)
How to grab information from hundreds of sources, put it in data you can interrogate - and still hit deadlines
Scraping - getting a computer to capture information from online sources - is one of the most powerful techniques for data-savvy journalists who want to get to the story first, or find exclusives that no one else has spotted. Faster than FOI and more detailed than advanced search techniques, scraping also allows you to grab data that organisations would rather you didn’t have - and put it into a form that allows you to get answers.
Scraping for Journalists introduces you to a range of scraping techniques - from very simple scraping techniques which are no more complicated than a spreadsheet formula, to more complex challenges such as scraping databases or hundreds of documents. At every stage you'll see results - but you'll also be building towards more ambitious and powerful tools.
You’ll be scraping within 5 minutes of reading the first chapter - but more importantly you'll be learning key principles and techniques for dealing with scraping problems.
Unlike general books about programming languages, everything in this book has a direct application for journalism, and each principle of programming is related to their application in scraping for newsgathering. And unlike standalone guides and blog posts that cover particular tools or techniques, this book aims to give you skills that you can apply in new situations and with new tools.
Data Journalism Heist
How to get in, get the data, and get the story out - and make sure nobody gets hurt
Data journalism is a key skill for journalists to differentiate themselves in a world where almost anyone can publish, and competition for journalism jobs is fierce.
Whether it's hard stories from government spending and MPs' expenses, or softer stories from sports data, fashion trends or music and social activity, our increasingly digital world is providing a rich range of potential new story sources - and new forms of storytelling too.
This short ebook introduces you quickly to key techniques in finding that data and turning it into stories - through a 'Data Journalism Heist'.
This isn't about the huge investigative projects that you hear about, but the everyday stories that you can do with speed and simplicity. It's about getting in, getting the data, and getting the story out safely. No one gets hurt.
In the process you'll learn about:
- Sources of data - where to find data stories and leads
- Typical data stories - how to find simple stories in data
- Basic spreadsheet techniques - finding the biggest and smallest values; calculating averages and totals.
- Top techniques for getting stories against a deadline - using filters and pivot tables to get to the story quickly
- Making a clean getaway - avoiding mistakes in data journalism
- Telling the story - basic techniques in visualising and humanising your data-led story
As the book is published you'll receive regular updates as you build on previous skills towards the final story. User feedback, examples and ideas will be incorporated as they come in.
About the Author
Paul Bradshaw runs the MA in Data Journalism and the MA in Multiplatform and Mobile Journalism at Birmingham City University, where he is an associate professor. He publishes the Online Journalism Blog, and is the founder of investigative journalism website HelpMeInvestigate. He has written for the Guardian and Telegraph’s data blogs, journalism.co.uk, Press Gazette, InPublishing, Nieman Reports and the Poynter Institute in the US. Formerly Visiting Professor at City University’s School of Journalism in London, He is the author of the Online Journalism Handbook, now in its second edition, and of Magazine Editing (3rd Edition) with John Morrish. Other books which Bradshaw has contributed to include Investigative Journalism (second edition), Web Journalism: A New Form of Citizenship; and Citizen Journalism: Global Perspectives.
His books on Leanpub include Scraping for Journalists, Finding Stories in Spreadsheets, the Data Journalism Heist, Snapchat for Journalists, and 8000 Holes: How the 2012 Olympic Torch Relay Lost its Way.
Bradshaw has been listed in Journalism.co.uk’s list of the leading innovators in journalism and media and Poynter’s most influential people in social media. In 2010, he was shortlisted for Multimedia Publisher of the Year. In 2016 he was part of a team that won the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards.
In addition to teaching and writing, Paul acts as a consultant and trainer to a number of organisations on social media and data journalism. You can find him on Twitter @paulbradshaw
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