Data Journalist

As a data journalist on the data team, you will have the opportunity to create visuals and conduct analysis that support high-impact stories across The Daily. You will learn how to use D3.js and data-cleaning tools such as Python to make a variety of visuals that bolster an argument, spanning from a simple bar graph to a complex treemap. You will have the ability to both propose story ideas and implement the visualizations for those stories. In addition, you will have the chance to create in-house tools and workflow processes for data visualization the entire Data Team can use. For anyone looking to broaden their data skills and apply analytical tools to real-world data, the Data Team is a great fit.

Please note that each of the three web team roles have a separate application, so if you are applying for multiple, you must fill out each form individually.

Welcome to The Michigan Daily web team! We’re working hard to build the digital-first future of The Michigan Daily. To learn more about us and our projects, check out our website!

What we do

Do you have a passion for working with data? Do you like to create new digital products, and experiment with interactive design or new technologies? Whether you are an experienced programmer, or just starting to code, web encourages all majors and students with an interest in our work to apply!

The web team’s projects can largely be split into two buckets: product and editorial. Products include designs for the new website and special projects like Best of Ann Arbor or 2024 Orientation Edition, as well as collaborations with other sections.  Our editorial responsibilities include providing data analysis for reporters, creating graphics for stories, and writing data-driven articles. We also have a mobile app (released on the App Store and Google Play) that we are constantly working on improving!  This semester, we are focusing on producing more internal content, and developing a “Tech blog” for our own tab of the Daily’s website. Team members are encouraged to attend weekly team bonding meetings to better collaborate with other members.

Technologies
The newsroom is a unique environment to experiment with technology, and we have a lot of exciting opportunities to do so. We use (and plan to use) modern technologies including (but not limited to):

• Web frameworks like React.js and Svelte and modern web tooling (SCSS, Parcel, etc)
• Data analysis with Python (pandas, numpy) and R
• Visualization tools like D3
• Modern mobile development technologies like React Native
• Cloud technologies like AWS

If you are experienced with or would like to learn more about any of these, you should join the web team! We are more than happy to help you learn and broaden your skill set.

Subteams
The following subteams work in tandem to comprise The Daily web team: product design, web projects,and data.

• The product design team creates designs for both the main michigandaily.com website as well as all of our special products.
• The web development team works on internal newsroom tools and special projects, such as Games and the mobile app.
• The data team works on data-driven stories and visualizations to be published in The Daily.