An Open Cover Letter for FiveThirtyEight
Doubling Down on Data Journalism
Dear FiveThirtyEight,
I am an avid reader of your website, listener to your podcasts, and believer in your mission. FiveThirtyEight brings evidence-driven storytelling into domains largely ruled by emotion: electoral politics, sports fandom, and culture. In this way the site helps keep us honest and founded in reality — and this is such important work, now and always.
Like many people, for a moment on November 9, my internal dialogue said “so much for the experts”. As a student of data science, I even felt a dose of despair; did I pick the wrong profession? I recognized, though, that this was an emotional response, and forced myself to think deeper.
The election was a good moment for data journalism. It forced us to “question our religion”, and it should result in prediction-makers improving their models. The result actually vindicated some of the more sophisticated models, such as how FiveThirtyEight gave a higher chance to Trump than almost anyone else, as explained by Nate Silver.
So I’m doubling down. I want to come work at FiveThirtyEight. I want to be a part of a growing and strengthening data journalism industry. I want to learn from you.
I’ll come in with knowledge in the domains of politics, economics, science (especially environment), and sports (especially basketball). I’ll contribute a love of writing, skills in data science, a knack for storytelling, enthusiasm for data visualization, and commitment to the scientific method.
In particular, if FiveThirtyEight is interested in expanding its coverage of urban issues, I’d love to fuel that work. I could help Ben Casselman with coverage of urban economics. I could investigate the economic and social impacts of the new football stadium in Los Angeles. I could write about how political power is distributed between cities, states, and the federal government, and how mayors of urban areas that voted against Trump might resist his agenda. Ultimately, I’m ready to help where you need it.
Speaking of help where you need it, do you have any data geeks on staff who can dunk? No? Pickup games with the Times are about to get a lot more interesting…
It would be an honor to intern with you this summer.
Yours,
Adrian Dahlin
(413) 695–1998
adrian.dahlin@gmail.com
P.S. Here’s a quick data analysis showing a trend that motivates me to work with you:
