Birdwatching is getting really popular: 96 million people in the US are birders and that produces a lot of Search data. And that means there is a lot of potential for beautiful data visuals (a great example is Jer Thorp's work in the field). So, when Nadieh Bremer told Alberto and I that her next visual would be an exploration of Google Trends data around birds in America, we knew this would be something to look forward to. And today, Searching For Birds is published. It's an incredible piece: forensically exploring how Americans search for our feathered friends.

MaryJo Webster⁠ is data editor at the Minnesota Star Tribune. She joins Alberto, Scott and Simon to talk about her team’s ongoing coverage of federal immigration troops deployed in Minnesota. They discuss analyzing data in a breaking news environment, and what reporters in other places can learn from the Star Tribune’s approach. ⁠Subscribe to the Minnesota Star Tribune⁠ to read more of their coverage. Work mentioned in the episode: ⁠Homeland Security presence in Minnesota dwarfs Twin Cities’ largest police forces⁠ ⁠Wave of immigrants file lawsuits to fight ICE detention⁠

See sample pages from the upcoming book What We Ask Google, with illustrations by Nigel Holmes

As a new year begins, we reflect on the state of data journalism. We discuss our dataviz favorites from 2025 and what Alberto, Scott and I are working on in 2026. What will happen in data visualisation and journalism this year?

The Trans News Initiative is a new project that tracks and analyzes news coverage of trans communities in the U.S. Our very own Alberto Cairo helped create it, and this week we're joined by three othe...

⁠How hawker signboards tell the story of Singapore⁠ NEW POD EPISODE: The Straits Times is Singapore’s most widely read print newspaper, and its online presence is full of innovative data visualization projects. Our guests this week — Charlene Chua, Hannah Ong, and Stephanie Adeline — are three of the young journalists making it happen. They join us to discuss their work and how the Straits Times became such a powerhouse of data journalism. ⁠Charlene Chua⁠, ⁠Hannah Ong⁠, and ⁠Stephanie Adeline⁠ are members of the digital graphics team at the…

This was a fun podcast episode to record - although my power outage resulted in the action shot above! Not since Ross Perot’s famous TV presentations using cardboard charts have we had a national figure who uses data visualization props quite like Donald Trump. This week, Philip Bump joins Scott and Simon to talk about Trump’s use of data, and how politicians more generally approach information visuals. Plus, they discuss Philip’s background, how he measures success as a solo blogger, and the future of AI in data journalism. Philip Bump was a…

New podcast: what is data journalism today? Data analysis is at an inflection point, with new technologies entering the field, and increasingly more practitioners working outside of journalism. This episode, Alberto Scott and myself reflect on how we got into data journalism, and what’s changed over the years. We discuss how each of our career paths took us into newsrooms — and then out of them again — and identify key takeaways for those looking to get into data visualization today. ⁠⁠⁠The⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠music this episode⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠ made with⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠TwoTone⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

On the 60th anniversary of Busy Busy World, what we can all learn from a children’s illustrator My grandparents built a boat, and sailed around the world on it. Grandad had been a bricklayer,…

Ever wondered what goes through other people’s minds—their silly questions, their inner anxieties, hopes, and dreams? In What We Ask Google, Simon Rogers explores insights from the world’s...

Which WNBA team’s fans are you most like?

Outlier⁠ is a one-of-a-kind conference, held annually by the Data Visualization Society. This year it was hosted at the University of Miami, where our very own Alberto gave the closing keynote. In this special Data Journalism podcast episode, Scott and I chat with Alberto about the conference, his keynote, and the state of the data visualization industry today. Check out Alberto's presentation ⁠here⁠ to learn more about his keynote. The⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠music this episode⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠ made with⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠TwoTone⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, represents Google searches for the word “outlier” over time.

“40 Acres and a Lie” tells the true story behind the Civil War–era “40 acres and a mule” program. It was the result of over two years of painstaking research by Alexia Fernández Campbell, April Simpson and Pratheek Rebala. The project won a Sigma Award and a Philip Meyer Data Journalism Award, and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in explanatory reporting. Alexia, April and Pratheek join Alberto, Scott and Simon to share their research process in detail. They explain how they used historical data to identify breaking news, and how genealogical tools helped them find living descendants of those impacted by the program.

Listen to the latest episode >> Cheryl Phillips⁠ is Hearst Professional in Residence at Stanford University’s journalism program, and founder of ⁠Big Local News⁠, which empowers journalists with data – and has twice been on Pulitzer prize winning news teams. Now she has devoted herself to empowering journalists with access to the data they need to tell great stories. She joins Alberto, Scott and Simon to discuss the state of public data in the US in 2025, and what her team is doing about it. ⁠⁠⁠⁠The⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠music this episode⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

One of my favourite data podcasts is Data+Love, hosted by the brilliant Zach Bowders. We chatted for the latest episode about why people should care about data, how to make it human and why it matters. Check it out!

Chiqui Esteban visual explaining the Electoral College 📣 New podcast alert! 📣 Chiqui Esteban⁠ is Design & Art Director at the Washington Post Opinion section. In the first episode with new co-host ⁠Scott Klein⁠, he talks to us about the lessons he's learned during his amazing career, from his early days as a student at a famous visual journalism program in Spain all the way to running the Washington Post’s graphics desk, one of the best in the world —and beyond. Chiqui talks about how data journalism and graphics help news stay relevant — and popular—with audiences.