We’re passionate about storytelling + data.
Right now, work at Stanford and the broader Silicon Valley is changing the way stories are discovered, told, and transmitted. We are part of that transformation, empowering students to produce work that is multimedia, data-intensive, entrepreneurial, and influenced by design thinking.
Be a part of this innovation. See our mission statement. Read a message from Director James T. Hamilton >
Learn about our master’s program
Finding the hidden stories in data.
We love storytelling. And at a time where data is everywhere, we’re training students to have the tech know-how to discover stories using data skills and how to effectively tell those stories using multimedia.
What you’ll learn in our classes:
You’ll build skills in the latest storytelling and data tools, including:
- Final Cut Pro X
- Hindenburg Audio Editing
- GitHub
- Google Fusion Tables
- The command line
- Sublime Text Editor
- SQL
- Python
- R
- Advanced spreadsheet techniques
- Twitter API
- Tableau
- ArcGIS Mapping
- Tabula and data cleaning
- Adobe Photoshop
- Wordpress CMS
- Jekyll
- Social tools like Hootsuite
- Social media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
See those skills at play in published student projects:

Profiles of Silicon Valley communities in transition
A three-part series about Menlo Park’s transforming Belle Haven neighborhood, the push to revitalize the North Fair Oaks neighborhood and the region’s homeless issues.
Skills:
- Building Sources
- Multimedia Storytelling
- Data Analysis and Mapping

Caltrain bike commuters push for more space
An in-depth multimedia report about the pressure for Caltrain to expand bicycle capacity to meet the ridership’s growing demand.
Skills:
- Beat Reporting
- DSLR and GoPro Photography
- Mapping

Financial burden of suspended driver’s licenses
A mini-documentary profile of one of the estimated four million California drivers struggling to manage the mounting financial burden of a suspended driver’s license, the result of costly driving fines.
Skills:
- DSLR Videography
- Optimizing Clean Audio
- Framing Sequences and B-Roll Editing
Interdisciplinary innovation in the heart of Silicon Valley

Faculty with newsroom and academic expertise
Our faculty bring a combination of industry expertise and academic accomplishment to the classroom, from The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Seattle Times, the San Jose Mercury News, Bloomberg News and The Associated Press.