The maiden edition of the Campus Journalism initiative by Dataphyte will be launched on October 15 with the induction of 155 ambassadors selected from 35 tertiary institutions across the country.
The induction will be followed by an intensive data journalism training on the 15th and 16th of October 2020 according to a statement by Founder/CEO of Dataphyte, Joshua Olufemi.
Ergo, the Campus Journalist Ambassador program will mentor campus journalists in digital skills, including accountability journalism, use of spreadsheets, writing for the web, and critical thinking.
It will also provide campus journalists with the platform to share tips, tools and opportunities that will make them leaders in the data journalism space
While noting that not every journalist needs to code, Dataphyte’s Program Lead said everyone who works in the media needs to be digitally literate, numerate.
“Comprehension of how technology relates to data sourcing, storytelling, and audience development and relationship is sacrosanct,” he stated.
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Olufemi said his data development outfit has a mandate for the nation development, with data journalism being the unique advocacy tool.
He said Data Journalism has become an undeniable frontier for media and literacy in the Global North but noted that gaps in knowledge and implementation in the African media landscape remain a cause for concern.
“We have also observed a deficit in quality output from existing data journalists. Although, one could attribute this to the novelty of the concept. Not to mention data journalism concepts cut across different disciplines, such as statistics and information technology.
“ More so, with the adoption of open data policy in Nigeria, the need for effective Data Journalism becomes apparent. With the rapidly expanding troves of data in different sectors of the economy, a Reporter without the skills to first analyze these concepts might find themselves in the deep end,” Olufemi.
How do I become a part of the 155 Dataphyte campus Journalist trainees?