Unlocking Business Secrets: Rare Data Sources for Journalists
In June 2016, the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism hosted a workshop led by Steve Doig, Knight Chair at Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The event, attended by eager journalists, focused on enriching business and economic reporting through rarely used data sources.
Doig presented 10 underutilised data sets that can spark fresh investigative research and story ideas. These included historic newspapers, industry trade journals, regulatory filings, court records, patent databases, government procurement databases, shipping manifests, property records, labor union archives, and corporate board meeting minutes. He demonstrated how to access these datasets and highlighted the wealth of information they contain.
The workshop also explored ZIP code-level business patterns, foreign trade imports and exports, and hospital data. Attendees left with new knowledge and a plethora of story ideas, ready to enhance their business and economic reporting.
The workshop, now documented on Slideshare, has equipped journalists with valuable tools to delve deeper into business and economic stories. By utilising these rarely explored data sources, reporters can uncover unique insights and provide more comprehensive coverage.
