The iMEdD – Panteion University collaboration continued this year with the thematic module on data journalism for fourth-year students by the iMEdD Lab
In the framework of iMEdD’s cooperation with the Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences, the iMEdD Lab held a cycle of workshops on Data Journalism, which formed part of the laboratory course “Aspects of the Internet – Critical Perspectives” offered by the University’s Journalism Laboratory, led by Assistant Professor Pantelis Vatikiotis, Director of Journalism Lab (J-Lab) at Panteion University.
The series of workshops on data journalism, which started on 24 October 2023 and was completed by 9 January 2024, was addressed to senior students of the Department of Communication, Media & Culture and aimed to equip students with the necessary knowledge and skills to understand, use and present data in the context of a journalistic story.
During the 11 sessions, which took place at the University’s Computer Laboratory, students had the opportunity to get acquainted with data journalism on a practical level, as they were introduced to a variety of data formats and methods for data collection, processing, composition, analysis, and visualization using both the Python programming language and web-based tools.
The cycle of workshops provided an introduction for students to the programming and related libraries, techniques, technologies, and applications that form an integral part of the Data Journalists’ toolbox.
At the end, the 9 students worked in 4 groups to produce data-based journalistic stories on a topic of their choice. The aim was to make the most of the knowledge gained in this round of workshops to create their own integrated data-driven stories. The instructors, Kelly Kiki and Thanasis Troboukis, with the participation of data journalist Chrysoula Marinou, were in contact with the teams throughout the development of the assignments and provided both technical and journalistic advice.
The workshop cycle concluded with a presentation of the students’ group journalism projects at the iMEdD premises, followed by a discussion on the work produced by each group.
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It is recalled that in November 2022, iMEdD launched its collaboration with Panteion University, in a bid to promote joint investigative and academic activities, encourage the exchange of expertise, help launch academic programs and ultimately communicate the outcomes of the collaboration to society. Participating bodies include iMEdD and PU Department of Communication, Media and Culture’s Journalism Laboratory (J-Lab), Communication, Media & Culture Laboratory (Media Lab) and Advertising and Public Relations Laboratory (ADandPRLAB).