Data for Journalists

by Brant Houston

This straightforward and effective how-to guide provides the basics for any reporter or journalism student beginning to use data for news stories. It has step-by-step instructions on how to do basic data analysis in journalism while addressing why these digital tools should be an integral part of reporting in the 21st century. An ideal core text for courses on data-driven journalism or computer-assisted reporting, Houston emphasizes that journalists are accountable for the accuracy and relevance of the data they acquire and share.

With a refreshed design, this updated new edition includes expanded coverage on social media, scraping data from the web, and text-mining and provides journalists with the tips and tools they need for working with data.

Genres: Journalism, Nonfiction

250 pages, Paperback

Expected publication February 5, 2026

About the author

Brant Houston is the Knight Chair in Investigative and Enterprise Reporting at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign where he teaches investigative and advanced reporting. He is the coauthor of “The Investigative Reporter’s Handbook” and author of “Computer-Assisted Reporting: A Practical Guide.” Houston is chair of the board of directors of the Investigative News Network, a consortium of more than 50 nonprofit newsrooms in North America, and a co-founder of the Global Investigative Journalism Network.

He also is board president of the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism and serves on several other nonprofit journalism boards. Before becoming the Knight Chair, Houston was executive director of Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) and the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting (NICAR) for 12 years. Houston was an investigative journalist for 17 years before he joined IRE and won awards while at The Hartford Courant and at The Kansas City Star where he was part of the newsroom staff that won the Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of a hotel building collapse that killed 114 persons in 1981.

Reviews

[Renjith R · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book as part of my research. First few portions was useful for me and the latter part is just used for reference. I think, this gives a general awareness about data handling and interpretation. For a person who knows nothing about data processing may benefit much from it.

[Meri Elena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the information is really helpful, but it's starting to get out-of-date, and it's riddled with typographical errors.