Peering Into the Data Divide: Part II
Peering Into the Data Divide is a mini-series of conversations between Zameena and her peers about their individual processes of learning interactive journalism and, in turn, closing the data divide that many journalists convince themselves they can’t get over.
Gustavo Martinez Contreras (‘16)
Hometown: Mexico City
Concentration: International
Fun fact: “I once performed at a wedding”
ZM: What have you most enjoyed about our interactive class so far?
GC: Maps and spreadsheets! ¡Me encantan! I’ve spent long nights filling cells with numbers. Not that I know a lot, because I really don’t. All of this is new to me, but I find it all really entertaining. I enjoy the challenge and mulling the possibilities.
ZM: What have you found to be most difficult?
GC: Python. I still don’t understand it. It’s too advanced for me, that’s why I don’t really count it. The day will come when Python and I engage again, and then we’ll see.
So, I’d say that the most difficult thing has been trying to find time to do all that we have to do. It sometimes feels like we just have a couple moments to learn a ton of stuff. But it’s all fun, especially when you finally get it… That moment when you understand the process and finally find a way to complete the assignment.
ZM: Do you still want to follow through with the interactive track?
GC: Yes, I’m taking interactive craft and a couple of modules. First, because I got really into it. It’s a very cool sensation when you’re able to mold chunks of overwhelming data into maps, graphs or other visual presentations.
It feels like just an extension of writing, a new kind of writing if you want. And I want to learn how to write and speak this new language.
ZM: Why do you think learning interactive journalism is important?
GC: I was just telling you about interactive journalism as a new kind of writing. And it is important to know it and do it because it is the language the new audience speaks. If we want to continue being relevant, not as an industry, but as journalists and storytellers, people will come to us for more. Learning interactive journalism lets us control the platform that is making all media producers equal.
ZM: Can you show me an example of one piece you’ve created in the interactive fundamentals class and describe how you made it?
GC: Of course!! My map!!! I did a map showing the concentration of Spanish speakers by each New York City zip code. It’s beautiful.
I used figures from the American Community Survey that I got through Social Explorer (shout out to Barbara Gray and her infinite patience). It could sound like piece of cake to many, but it proved to be a lesson in differentiating between thinking you know what you’re doing and really knowing what you’re doing.
I began with the idea that I could do five maps in one, but Google Fusion Tables doesn’t work that way. It took me a while to understand that, though. I enjoyed the whole process. I felt like a really learned something. It was fun too, because it was like trying to beat a video game. And it even left a very cool memory, too.
There was a group of us trying to finish our maps one night at school: Camila Cibilis, Dan Heching, Roberto Capocelli, Kalalea, Shaquille-Omari Bravado, and myself. I think Shaq had already done his map because I don’t remember him being as stressed out as we were when he shared with us a kml file with the geometries for all of the New York City zip codes.
Deadline was 11 p.m., or something like that. Shaq’s file really helped many of us to move forward and have a better visualization of our data. There was a good vibe that night in the newsroom despite the stress. Everybody was just very helpful and very supportive to each other as the minutes went on.
As deadline neared, one by one my classmates started finishing their maps. Every time one of them clicked ¨done” on their project, Camila would lead the choir yelling, “People, we have a map!” And we all clapped.
But Capocelli and I were the only ones that couldn’t finish. We were too complex for what the assignment asked.
I couldn’t help leaving school with a sense of defeat. I thought that probably the next day things would be different after doing some consulting with my bed. And just as my head touched the pillow, I understood what I had been doing wrong all this time.
The lights went back on in my room. Instead of trying to do five maps, I concentrated in doing just one map. I put together a spreadsheet with the total number of Spanish speakers by zip code and started running it merged with the KML file Shaq gave us.
I think it took me some five hours to finish it. The sun was already coming up when I emailed my classmates and my teacher to tell them: People, we have a map!
ZM: Can you give an example of a piece of interactive journalism that you really like?
GC: Yes, I’m a fan of ¿Quién Compró?, which translates to “Who bought?”. It’s a bunch of Mexican journalists digging in government data to expose the misuse of public money in the Mexican Legislature. Corruption in Mexico is more rampant and projects like this are important to create any sense of transparency in the middle of that shit.
So, these guys put out together stories that contain audio, videos, charts, documents. You know, all the meat. The best part of it, is that they were doing all of this on their spare time. Now, major outlets are interested in what they produce and are beginning to buy it.
Interested in being featured in the Peering Into the Data Divide mini-series? Submit your request over at http://bit.ly/cdjsubmissions.
