Simon Munzert
simonsaysnothin.bsky.social
Simon Munzert
@simonsaysnothin.bsky.social

Professor of Data Science and Public Policy | Director @ Hertie School Data Science Lab | Elections, Public Opinion, Data

Political science 35%
Communication & Media Studies 16%
Pinned
2️⃣4️⃣🎁🎄 Doing something new for Advent this year: one great data journalism piece per day until Dec 24. I’m teaching a data journalism course @hertieschool.bsky.social next semester, so this is partly selfish homework. But maybe interesting for others too.

Dreaming of a white Christmas? Don’t get your hopes up—at least not in Germany. Anyway, Merry Christmas, everyone! 🎄

A beautifully designed feature on a sad story. "As insects disappear, we’re losing the limbs and the twigs of the tree of life. We’re tearing it apart. And we’re leaving behind a very simplified and ugly tree."

🎅2️⃣3️⃣ The collapse of insects. By @jhjanicki.bsky.social, @gloriadickie.bsky.social, Simon Scarr and Jitesh Chowdhury. www.reuters.com/graphics/GLO...
Insect populations are declining at an unprecedented rate
The most diverse group of organisms on the planet are in trouble and the consequences could be dire.
www.reuters.com

I can hardly think of a better example to motivate data science students by showing how their tools and investigative skills can be used to make real impact.

This is part one of a five-part investigation into detention camps in the Xinjiang region that won a Pulitzer Prize.

Pünktlich zu den Festtagen ein Tool zur Abschätzung, wie viel unterm Baum maximal gebechert werden sollte. Prost!

PSA für alle Eltern, die mit dem Gedanken spielen, die Weihnachtsbäckerei anzuzünden und die Winterkinder auf dem Balkon auszusperren: Bestes Kinder-Weihnachtsalbum? Look no further www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxFn...
O je, Tannenbaum!
YouTube video by Release - Topic
www.youtube.com

The article makes the faultiness and consequences of algorithmic governance palpable — almost like scanning a restaurant bill. Awesome narration and visual communication.

A fascinating piece on Rotterdam’s welfare fraud algorithm, which shows how risk scoring and profiling slip into routine administration - aimed at people with the least room for error.

Another one by @puddingviz.bsky.social. One of their earliest (and imo still best) from 2016, and one that should get you prepared for all the Christmas movies of the season...

🎅1️⃣9️⃣ Film Dialogue, by Hanah Anderson and Matt Daniels pudding.cool/2017/03/film...
The Largest Analysis of Film Dialogue by Gender, Ever
Lately, Hollywood has been taking so much shit for rampant sexism and racism. The prevailing theme: white men dominate movie roles.
pudding.cool

Same vibes

🎅1️⃣8️⃣ Was passt noch in mein CO2-Budget? By Ida Flik, Luc Guillemot, André Pätzold and @benjazehr.ch. interaktiv.morgenpost.de/co2-budget-p...
Wieviel CO2 kann ich mir noch leisten? Spielen Sie es durch!
CO2-Budget pro Kopf: Was passt da noch rein, um den Klimawandel zu bremsen. Probieren Sie es aus - mit dem persönlichen Klima-Test.
interaktiv.morgenpost.de

I’ve never been to Singapore, but this article really makes me want to go. Beautifully told story, with interactive elements and image analysis woven right in. So good -absolutely delicious.

🎅1️⃣7️⃣ How hawker signboards tell the story of Singapore, by Alyssa Mungcal, Charles Tampus, Cherie Lok, Lim Zu Ning, Nikita Pereira, Shannon Teoh, and Tara Trang @tst-news.bsky.social www.straitstimes.com/multimedia/g...
How hawker signboards tell the story of Singapore
The Straits Times analysed over 250 signs across four hawker centres to find out how the look and feel of hawker signs have changed over time
www.straitstimes.com

Sure, maps are great, but have you seen this one from @zeit.de? Electoral geography pushed to the limit with municipality-level data (about 83k units) from the most recent European Parliament election.

We @uni-konstanz.de are hiring a full professor in machine learning for our MSc program in Social and Economic Data Science: stellen.uni-konstanz.de/jobposting/6...
Full Professorship (W3) in Machine Learning
Deadline: January 31, 2026
stellen.uni-konstanz.de

One thing I realized while putting this calendar together is that the data journalists @reuters.com are some of the best out there. Just amazing stuff, and available for free.

A simple yet visually effective explainer that compares today’s investment in AI with other major tech investments in history.

🎅1️⃣5️⃣ Investment in AI is exploding. By Mayank Munjal and @vinsac.bsky.social. www.reuters.com/graphics/USA...
Just how big is the AI investment wave?
More money has been invested in AI than it took to land on the moon.
www.reuters.com

Exactly two months until ❤️ Valentine's day - here's some data on love and religion. Nice visuals and interactivity. And quite a sample of religions!

🎅1️⃣4️⃣ When it comes to love, more of us are crossing the religious divide. By Inga Ting, Katia Shatoba, @brody.fyi, Alex Palmer and Thomas Brettell. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09...
The group that's almost everyone's top pick for love, according to the data
Exclusive data for 5.2 million couples shows nearly one in five marriages are between people of different religions – double the proportion recorded in 1986.
www.abc.net.au

Yes but LINK?
🚀 We’re hiring a Postdoc!

Our group is looking for a Postdoc to join the team working on computational comm research. If you’re excited about automated content analysis, large text & social-media data, open science, this might be for you.

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