7 datasets you can write about now instead of waiting for your FOI request to come back
So you've had a great idea for a story, but you need more information to stand it up. So is it time for a Freedom of Information request (or several).…
Data Journalism for Beginners: Six options for getting data out of a PDF and into a spreadsheet
PDFs are the never-ending bane of a data journalist's existence. Unfortunately, public bodies really love sending data as PDFs. https://twitter.com/dataeditor/status/1504142701213671430 As this is the case, you will often need to…
Data Journalism for Beginners: Why do it and how to get started
The second edition of Getting Started with Data Journalism has just launched and over the next few weeks I'm going to be bringing you some beginners' guides to data journalism…
Using Excel as a web scraper – Getting Started with Data Journalism
Want to know if your area is a Costa capital or just how many Greggs you have per head of population? The answer may be found in the Food Standards…
FOI Exemptions – Section 22 – Yes, but are you really planning to publish the information in my FOI?
The companion to Section 21 (and not just because both FOI officers and I frequently write one when we mean the other), is Section 22. If Section 21 is there to direct…
FOI Exemptions – Section 21 – but the information I want isn’t available elsewhere, is it time to appeal?
If the Cabinet Office statistics for central government FOI-handling show cost is the most common reason you’ll find your request being refused, then coming in as the third most commonly used Freedom of…
FOI Exemptions – Section 12 – Should I appeal this cost refusal?
Figures out yesterday (May 1, 2019) show that 55% of Freedom of Information requests refused by central government bodies in 2018 were rejected under Section 12, or cost limits. Given that…