The Great NICAR25 Scavenger Hunt
Brought to you by the Data Journalism Teachers' Club
Welcome to NICAR25! And thanks for participating in the second annual #nicarscavengerhunt!
- Are you a teacher? đ Sign your class up here.
- Are you a student? Keep reading! đ
What is the NICAR Scavenger hunt?
Youâll be joining students from schools across the country to interview experienced journalists about concepts youâre learning in your data journalism classes! Why participate? Because youâll get to talk to some great journalists about their stories and youâll get access to notes from everyone elseâs interviews to learn from!
How to participate:
- đĄ Pick a topic:
Talk to your professor and pick a concept youâve learned about in class to hunt for (thatâs what will go on your sticker) Example concepts: statistical models, data FOIAs, p-values, pivot tables, census data, ethical quandaries, linear regressions, etc⌠- đŁď¸ Conduct an interview:
Conduct at least one interview that is a minimum of 10-15 minutes with a journalist who has an example story that involves your topic. If that journalist has already given an interview to a scavenger hunter, you must find someone else! Make sure to ask about a specific story, including:- How that journalist used your topic in a specific story
- How they came up with the idea for that story
- âď¸ Submit the form!
Submitting a form means youâll get access to notes from everyone elseâs interviews. Thatâs a huge bank of example stories and concepts for you to learn and gain inspiration from, as well as behind-the-scenes information about where the idea came from.
If you post about the scavenger hunt on social, feel free to use #nicarscavengerhunt. Bonus points for a selfie with your interviewee đŹ (only if theyâre up for it of course). Happy Hunting!
Questions? Comments? Concerns?
If any questions or concerns should arise, please don't hesitate to email me at dhrumil.mehta@columbia.edu. For more information about the organization running the scavenger hunt, visit Data Journalism Teachers Club.