Stanford Computational Journalism Lab
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
Turning Data into Stories
In partnership with Big Local News, Amy DiPierro (MA ‘21) analyzed more than 45,000 debt lawsuits filed in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties between 2017 and the first quarter of 20021 and conducted interviews with more than a dozen people sued for debt during the pandemic. The story package, which was DiPierro’s thesis project, published in Bay City News.
Beat Reporting and Source Building
In News Reporting class, Rachel Oh (MA ‘21) followed the effects of California’s gig economy law. Unlike other news outlets, Oh looked at the impacts of the law on people who fall outside of what people normally see as gig economy workers. Oh spoke with truckers, pet sitters, translators and other independent contractors who were impacted by the law.
Using Multimedia Tools to Tell a Story
In Immersive Journalism class, MA students collaborated with noted British environmental photographer Mandy Barker, using her images to create a virtual reality experience, “Ripple plastic: the unintended life of plastic at sea.” The experience submerges viewers into the sea filled with Barker’s found marine plastic debris items. The project aims to tell the story of the lasting damage of plastics in the environment.
You’ll build skills in the latest storytelling and data tools, including:
- Hindenburg Audio Editing
- GitHub
- The command line
- HTML, CSS and JavaScript
- Databases and SQL
- Python
- R
- Advanced spreadsheet techniques
- Twitter API
- Tableau
- Tabula and data cleaning
- ArcGIS Mapping
- Adobe Photoshop
- Wordpress CMS
- Social media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
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 Wall Street Journal, The Seattle Times, the San Jose Mercury News, Bloomberg News and The Associated Press.
A launchpad to newsrooms across the globe
Stanford Journalism alumni are in newsrooms, media organizations and tech companies throughout the world, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Politico, Fast Company, The Verge and Google News.
Our Partners
Applications are now closed.
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