Diego Torrealba

When considering different story ideas worth pursuing, a journalist often envisions a unique story that would be very impactful to the beat they cover but is intimidated by the work required to produce such a story correctly. This, coupled with the haste to keep up with the 24-hour news cycle, leads to these innovative ideas getting swept under the rug for stories that are easier and cheaper to produce.

However, there are ways to make these innovative story ideas feel less daunting. A journalist usually might not pursue an idea because of the statistical or technical skills required to produce the story. With enough practice, though, these data-driven stories can become as “doable” as those that do not require coding experience or technical knowledge.

To offer my experience as an example, I initially cringed at the sight of large Excel spreadsheets and CSVs before I renewed my effort to learn about programming languages and data analytics. The word “statistics” alone alarmed me, and I thought I could never navigate the tremendous number of resources available. However, after receiving formal instruction in various programming languages, learning about data manipulation techniques and dedicating time to practice with online resources, I now feel much more confident handling data and presenting it in visually engaging ways.

This is to say that even if an idea might seem impossible initially, don’t let it discourage you from pursuing it. Instead, make it your goal to learn how to produce it! Whether it be programming, three-dimensional modeling, or any other technical skill, you might not have the skills to do it now, but with enough practice and effort, it can fall within the realm of possibility. Often, you’ll find it exciting just how much you can learn quickly when you put your mind to it.

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