Thread by @LeiaShotFirst, Good morning #SciWri20! First up today is "Diving into the Data: How [...]

Good morning #SciWri20! First up today is "Diving into the Data: How Data Reporting Can Shape Science Stories" with
@betsyladyzhets @cragcrest @duncangeere @jessicamalaty and @sarambsimon

Follow along below or with the hashtag #DataForSciComm https://twitter.com/ScienceWriters/status/1318922713495490560?s=20

https://twitter.com/ScienceWriters/status/1318922713495490560?s=20

@betsyladyzhets starting us off: What is data journalism? Data and trends used to tell a story; taking traditional reporting skills and combining them with numbers. #DataForSciComm #SciWri20

Side note: I want @jessicamalaty's job, and I'm 100% serious. Wow she's amazing.

She's living the worst nightmare for many, but something that she and her team have been preparing for for years. #DataForSciComm #SciWri20

@jessicamalaty: science isn't finished until it's communicated, and not every scientist is a good communicator.

Put that on a bumper sticker, y'all. #DataForSciComm #SciWri20

Okay, I'm sorry everyone but this is more hands-on than I anticipated, and I can't participate and also live tweet. I'll try to keep up with the important highlights.
#DataForSciComm #SciWri20

Okay we're back! #DataForSciComm #SciWri20
@jessicamalaty: data can be overwhelming. It can be a tool, and a weapon. In a crises, you can use data in any way to justify your worldview, leading to mis/disinformation. You see a lot of logical fallacies right now with COVID.

@cragcrest: There's this perception that data is unbiased, and that's just not true. Numbers are only as good as the human and instruments collecting them. People tend to believe data over people, which *can* be helpful, but data has the same biases. #DataForSciComm #SciWri20

@duncangeere: "the map is not the territory". It's important to get focus on the people—it's important that data reporting should include people and their experiences. #DataForSciComm #SciWri20

@sarambsimon: Communicating clearly matters. What is the context? How do I present the context? This should be discussed with your editors. If we know there are limitations to a dataset, how can you clearly communicate that to your audience? #DataForSciComm #SciWri20

@cragcrest It's important to ask your data source what the limitations of the data are. Where did we get the data, what does it tell us? Never start writing a story without talking to people! Data journalism and traditional journalism are the same. #DataForSciComm #SciWri20

@duncangeere: Three levels to this: How was your data collected, in what way? Why was your data collected, does it relate to your story? What data isn't being collected? Getting to the bottom of the latter question will make the difference in your story. #DataForSciComm #SciWri20

@jessicamalaty: If someone is going to look at your data, you want to make sure that data is replicable, and the same goes for if you're writing those stories. #DataForSciComm #SciWri20

@sarambsimon: Doesn't think of herself as a "data journalist"—she's a journalist that works with data. @jessicamalaty agrees. #DataForSciComm #SciWri20

@sarambsimon: Relationships among colleagues and editors matter—you need to trust the people you work with,
and they will help if someone tries to poke holes in your work. #DataForSciComm #SciWri20

@duncangeere: Start a conversation with your readers, cherrypick something to start with and publish everything over time. Let your readers start to trust you. #DataForSciComm #SciWri20

@sarambsimon: Trying to explain real issues during early COVID stages, but that they shouldn't lose confidence in the entire system is difficult. It's important to have people who you can count on to vet your story. Mistrust of the numbers happens. #DataForSciComm #SciWri20

@cragcrest: be transparent about the uncertainties. We should do more to explain them, and help our audience understand them. Be transparent, don't oversell or overstate the science. #DataForSciComm #SciWri20

@jessicamalaty In the news, there's a lot of noise. You owe it to your audience to be the trusted source. Keep your integrity intact by being honest about mistakes or changes. Integrity should lead. #DataForSciComm #SciWri20

@betsyladyzhets worked on something that was in edits for a month, and she was anxious to get it out, but not only was it still relevant after a month, the integrity of the piece remained intact by going through that editing process. #DataForSciComm #SciWri20

@duncangeere: most of my work is done in Google spreadsheets! For more heafty datasets, maybe python or Javascript, but just work with what you know. Stick with the simplest thing you can get away with. @sarambsimon agrees. #DataForSciComm #SciWri20

@sarambsimon adds: Make sure you keep track of your process. For the sake of everyone, keep a record of where the data comes from and what you're doing with it. Just like a researcher, says @duncangeere! #DataForSciComm #SciWri20

@duncangeere says sometimes he needs to remind his editors that data stories are the biggest stories in almost all newspapers. #DataForSciComm #SciWri20

here is @sarambsimon's Miss America story for those of you who are interested. #DataForSciComm #SciWri20 https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/12/insider/miss-america-data-software.html

How a Times Software Engineer Ended Up Covering Miss America (Published 2018)

I was curious about many aspects of the competition: Where do winners come from? Which talents are most popular? So I opened a blank spreadsheet and started digging.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/12/insider/miss-america-data-software.html

@sarambsimon: read how Covid Tracking Project compiles the data. Here's a link to that. #DataForSciComm #SciWri20 https://covidtracking.com/about-data

About the Data

The COVID Tracking Project collects and publishes the most complete testing data available for US states and territories.

https://covidtracking.com/about-data

@duncangeere says Collaborate! This is a very interdisciplinary field. Find people who can strengthen your weaknesses, and vice versa. #DataForSciComm #SciWri20

@cragcrest It's also helpful to have someone who can fact check your work, and the data process. #DataForSciComm #SciWri20

@jessicamalaty adds: get familiar with infectious disease experts. They've been working on these things for years. They explain nuance, publication processes, clarify misconceptions. Follow them on twitter! (I heartily second this). #DataForSciComm #SciWri20

That's a wrap! Thank you to @betsyladyzhets for leading the tutorial and this discussion that is so important, especially now! #DataForSciComm #SciWri20

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