Data Journalism (& Visualization)

1. April 18, 2014 Benefits of Computer-Assisted Reporting Data Journalism (& Visualization)

2. CAR = Data Journalism Reporter & editor for small newspaper in New Jersey

11. Your data stories • From what I’ve read, impressive • Good analysis of numbers

12. Age of marriage

14. Air quality According to the data, Sanya, in Hainan Province, had the best air quality of any city in April 1 to April 12. Its air quality was rated “good.” To our surprise, the worst air quality in Urumqi city. … Of the 161 cities surveyed for air quality, 101 – or 63 percent – had a “moderate” pollution level. Thirty-three percent of the cities had urban air pollution levels rated as “unhealthy for sensitive groups.” About 3 percent of the cities had a “good” air quality rating. And 4 percent were rated “very unhealthy.” Thankfully, none of cities fell in the “hazardous” category.

15. Foreign patents

16. In 2013, foreign inventors received about 300,000 patents from the U.S. About 9,100 of those patents went to Chinese inventors; China ranked fifth among all countries. China has a long way to catch up to Japan, the No. 1 recipient of U.S. patents (more than 55,000 last year). But China has shown tremendous growth in the number of patents its inventors have received. The number jumped 35 percent from 2011 to 2012 and another 21 percent last year.

17. Cost of living Recently, a list of the cost of living in various Chinese cities has been circulated by college students on various social networking sites. At the top of the list is Shanghai, where the average resident needs 9,250 yuan per month to make ends meet. (Monthly per capita income in Shanghai is only 7,112 yuan. That’s the highest in China – but it’s still far short of the cost of living.)

18. The talent consulting company ECA international recently published its latest ranking of the cost of living in cities around the world. Of the 50 most expensive cities, three are in China: Shanghai, Hong Kong and Beijing. The ECA study used New York as the base city; all the other cities were compared with New York. The cost-of-living index in Shanghai surpassed New York by 1%. Because of wage increases, inflation and appreciation in the Chinese currency, many Chinese cities rose sharply in the cost-of-living rankings. One third of the most expensive cities in Asia are in China.

19. Smoking According to data provided by the World Health Organization, about 53 percent of Chinese men smoke – far higher than the world average of 33 percent for adult men. In contrast, only about 2 percent of Chinese women smoke – well below the global average of around 12 percent.

20. Top of story (lead) • Not like a research report • Should be interesting, creative • Wall Street Journal model • Scene-setter (description) • Find a twist, surprise, word-play

21. "Compared with the beautiful vision I had when I just graduated, now life is not easy," Wang Zhen sighs. “When I was still in university, I knew living in Shanghai would be expensive. But as a young graduate, I wanted to experience life in Shanghai. I did not realize that life would be such a struggle and full of hard time." Ms. Wang graduated from Tongji University in Shanghai four years ago. She works in medical equipment sales and makes 7,000 yuan a month. That may sound like a good salary – but it doesn’t go very far in Shanghai, where the cost of living is among the highest in the world. Ms. Wang’s hometown is Chongqing, and she is the only child in her family. Recently her wallet was so empty after buying a QQ car that she decide to ask her parents for help. Like Wang Zhen, many residents in China’s major cities are stressed out by the high cost of living. Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou are the most expensive Chinese cities to live in, according to the latest economic data. Recently, a list of the cost of living in various Chinese cities has been circulated by college students on various social networking sites. At the top of the list is Shanghai, where the average resident needs 9,250 yuan …

22. How can we lead up to the statistics on smoking? ? Can you describe a scene – a time or place you are surprised to see Chinese men smoke? According to data provided by the World Health Organization, about 53 percent of Chinese men smoke – far higher than the world average of 33 percent for adult men. In contrast, only about 2 percent of Chinese women smoke – well below the global average of around 12 percent.

24. The School of Media Sciences at Northeast Normal University has just opened a new faculty lounge – a posh break room for teachers, with a high-tech LCD screen, a coffee machine and a shelf of awards won by the school’s hard-working students. The lounge also features something else that could take your breath away: ashtrays. That’s because a lot of teachers, especially men, smoke cigarettes – a common phenomenon in China. According to data provided by the World Health Organization, about 53 percent of Chinese men smoke – far higher than the world average of 33 percent for adult men. In contrast, only about 2 percent of Chinese women smoke – well below the global average of around 12 percent.

25. How can we lead up to the statistics on patents? ? In 2013, foreign inventors received about 300,000 patents from the U.S. About 9,100 of those patents went to Chinese inventors; China ranked fifth among all countries.

27. A man in Dongguan designed a new kind of beer bottle. A resident of Guangzhou created an ornamental electronic lock. Two guys from Shenzhen invented a tablet computer for the technology giant Huawei. Those items are a sampling of the approximately 9,100 inventions by Chinese residents that received U.S. patents in 2013. Chinese inventors received a record number of U.S. patents last year – a 60 percent increase from 2011. China ranked fifth among all countries in the number of patents obtained from the U.S.

28. How can we lead up to the statistics on age of marriage? ? The age when women get married correlates positively with income and literacy. Where women get married later, their countries have higher per capita incomes. And they tend to be the countries with higher literacy rates for women.

29. A play on words: When a man asks a woman to marry him, it’s called “popping the question.” So maybe: Before your boyfriend pops the question, girls, here is a question you should ask yourself: What is the right age to get married? There is no perfect answer for everyone, of course. But statistics suggest that it may be good to wait. The age when women get married correlates positively with income and literacy. Where women get married later, their countries have higher per capita incomes. And they tend to be the countries with higher literacy rates for women.

30. From here • I will edit your storiesand give you feedback • You’ll revise the stories • Clean spreadsheets & charts • Publish stories – create online magazine • Think of a name!