By Tuhin Sarwar
Dhaka | December 31, 2025

Data Journalism Learning Resource

• DataJournalism.com: Operated by the European Journalism Centre, this is a premier hub offering free video courses, long-form articles, and a community forum. Popular courses include “Python for Journalists” and “Cleaning Data in Excel”.
• The Data Journalism Handbook

  : A comprehensive, open-access guide available in two editions. It covers everything from finding and cleaning data to advanced storytelling and ethics.

• Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN): Provides an extensive collection of textbooks, training tutorials, and guides specifically focused on investigative data work.
• Google News Initiative: Offers free training modules on using Google tools (like Sheets and Flourish) for data-driven reporting.
• European Data Journalism Network (EDJNet): Hosts self-paced modules and mentoring for entry-level learners, often leading to collaborative story production. 
  datajournalism.com +9

• Awesome Data Journalism: A curated GitHub repository featuring free/open-source tools, books, and university-level learning materials.
• Knight Science Journalism MIT: A toolkit and guide for finding, analyzing, and presenting data, tailored for science reporting but applicable to all beats.
• Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE): Their NICAR program provides some of the most established training in computer-assisted reporting. 
  GitHub 

An Interactive Guide to Evidence-Based Reporting
By Tuhin Sarwar

[SECTION 1] When Evidence Emerges from the Forest

Narrative block (text):

In July 2021, deep inside Venezuela’s Amazonas region, Indigenous communities reported illegal gold mining operations contaminating rivers with mercury. অভিযোগগুলো নতুন ছিল না—but what followed marked a shift.

Journalists began reconstructing these claims using data.

[EMBED 1 — Interactive Map]

👉 Tool: Mapbox / Flourish Map

What to embed:

• Satellite-identified mining locations
• নদী ও Indigenous community boundaries
• Timeline slider (before/after expansion)

Embed label:
“Mapping Illegal Mining in Amazonas (2020–2022)”

Narrative continuation:

Using satellite imagery and verification tools such as Google Earth and data from Planet Labs, journalists identified patterns invisible to the naked eye.

This was no longer allegation—it was verifiable evidence.

[SECTION 2] Where the Data Comes From

Narrative block:

Every dataset carries a story—but also a limitation.

In data journalism, the process of collection is itself an editorial decision.

[EMBED 2 — Data Source Flow Diagram]

👉 Tool: Flourish / Canva infographic

What to show:

• Primary data → interviews / surveys
• Secondary data → সরকার / UN datasets
• Crowdsourced inputs

Purpose:
Explain data pipeline visually

Narrative continuation:

In Bangladesh, for example, public budget datasets often suggest progress. But যখন এই ডেটা মাঠ পর্যায়ের বাস্তবতার সঙ্গে মিলিয়ে দেখা হয়—discrepancies begin to emerge.

[SECTION 3] Interrogating the Dataset

Narrative block:

Data does not answer questions on its own. It responds to the questions we ask.

[EMBED 3 — Interactive Chart]

👉 Tool: Datawrapper

Example dataset:

• School dropout rates (Bangladesh)

Chart types:

• Line chart (trend over time)
• Bar chart (regional comparison)

Interactive feature:

• Filter by gender / region

Narrative continuation:

A dataset on school dropouts becomes meaningful only when disaggregated—by geography, gender, and income.

Patterns, once hidden, begin to surface.

[SECTION 4] Visualising Complexity

Narrative block:

Visualisation is not about aesthetics—it is about clarity.

[EMBED 4 — Multi-layer Visual Story]

👉 Tool: Flourish Story / Shorthand

Elements:

• Scroll-triggered charts
• ছোট annotations explaining key spikes
• Highlighted সময়কাল (policy change, crisis)

Narrative continuation:

The most effective stories do not overwhelm. They guide the reader—step by step—through complexity.

[SECTION 5] Ethics and Uncertainty

Narrative block:

Not all patterns imply causation. Not all data tells the full story.

[EMBED 5 — Methodology Box (Static or Toggle)]

👉 Tool: HTML toggle / collapsible block

Include:

• Data sources
• Cleaning steps
• Limitations
• Margin of error

Narrative continuation:

Transparency is not an afterthought—it is central to trust.

[SECTION 6] Accountability Through Data

Narrative block:

When evidence becomes visible, accountability becomes harder to avoid.

[EMBED 6 — Timeline]

👉 Tool: TimelineJS

What to show:

• অভিযোগ → investigation → publication → government response

Narrative continuation:

Data journalism does not replace reporting. It reinforces it—with structure, clarity, and proof.

Conclusion: A New Language of Reporting

This is the evolving language of journalism—
where numbers, narratives, and human experience converge.

Suggested Reader Interaction

• Explore the map
• Filter the data
• Read the methodology
• Draw your own conclusions

End of Interactive Resource