New England Newspaper & Press Association

Medill and the Dance Data Project® will offer “Arts & Entertainment by the Numbers: A One-Day Data Journalism Workshop,” a free one-day virtual workshop taking place on Zoom from 9 am to 5 pm ET on Feb. 18. The virtual workshop will cover:

• What “data journalism” means for arts and entertainment
• Spreadsheets 101: Sorting, filtering, and summarizing basic data in Google Sheets — no math required.
• Cleaning Practice: How to fix messy artist names, genres, and labels — and why consistency matters.
• Quick Analysis: How to find simple story patterns (Patterns, Trends, Outliers).
• Visualization Basics: Building a visualization in Flourish, focused on storytelling.
• Finding Credible Data: Where to get trustworthy arts and culture data
• Writing with Data: Turning your finding into a “nut graf” that connects the number to people and context.
• Using AI Responsibly: How to use tools like ChatGPT to speed up cleaning, analysis, and writing while staying accurate.

The workshop will be led by Jill Blackman, Medill lecturer and director of data journalism.

“The goal is for arts and entertainment for journalists to walk away not as data experts, but as data-curious storytellers — ready to use simple tools and clear thinking to make culture reporting deeper, sharper, and more original,” said Blackman.

Registration is now open for the free workshop.

Join the University of Vermont Center for Community News for a free webinar with Dr. Joshua Darr, associate professor at the Newhouse School of Public Communications and a senior researcher in the Institute for Democracy, Journalism & Citizenship at Syracuse University.

Recent winter extremes have raised new questions about how a warming Arctic may be reshaping weather far beyond the polar regions. Hosted by URI’s Metcalf Institute and the Solutions Journalism Network, this training explores the links between Arctic ice loss, polar vortex disruptions, and the growing frequency of severe winter weather across the Northern Hemisphere. Panelists will examine what scientists know, where questions remain, and how journalists can responsibly report on these connections. The discussion will also focus on solutions — such as grid resiliency efforts in Texas — that show how communities are adapting to these emerging risks.

Speakers:
Dr. Jaime Palter, Professor of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island
Dr. Jennifer Francis, Senior Scientist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center
Dr. Kevin Kircher, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University
Moderator: Charles Ellison, Principal and Chief Strategist, B|E Strategy

The live training is open to working journalists only. After the event, a recording of the training will be available to the public for free on the Metcalf Institute and Solutions Journalism Network websites. Contact ethan.brown@uri.edu with questions.

Climate change touches every corner of our lives. From the food we eat to the sports we play, from the economy to public health, and from education to infrastructure. Yet, too often, the climate connection goes unreported, leaving audiences with incomplete stories.

The truth is, every journalist is, in a way, a climate journalist. Whether you cover agriculture, sports, crime, or culture, climate change is shaping the stories on your beat. Recognizing and reporting these connections isn’t just good journalism: It’s essential to giving audiences the full picture.

Join this live training session on how to make the climate connection across beats. We’ll share practical tips for identifying climate angles in everyday stories, explore examples from newsrooms around the world, and show you how even one sentence can transform your reporting. No science background required, just a willingness to connect the dots!

As regulatory scrutiny increases, digital compliance accelerates, and newsroom resources remain under pressure, public notice has quietly become one of the most consequential—and misunderstood—parts of a publisher’s business. What was once a stable, operational function is now a strategic crossroads touching revenue, trust, and a publisher’s role in civic life.

Megan Villanueva—newly appointed CEO of Column—joins Editor & Publisher for a free webinar to discuss what the next era of public notice means for news organizations. In her first major industry appearance since stepping into the role, Villanueva will highlight how modernization is helping publishers expand public notice revenue through new channels, higher margins, and more resilient operations.

This is not a product demo. It’s a leadership-level conversation about the future of public information, rooted in what’s actually working today: real publisher stories, real results, and a profitable path forward.

Learn:

• How publishers are navigating regulatory change in public notice without sacrificing compliance or independence
• How modernization is helping publishers protect and grow public notice revenue, even under legislative pressure
• How the best operators are turning public notice into a high-ROI business through efficiencyand expansion

Who should attend:

• Publishers, CEOs, and presidents of news organizations
• Revenue, operations, and legal advertising leaders
• Editors and executives responsible for public notice strategy and compliance
• If public notice is part of your business—or your responsibility to the public—this conversation matters.

Join the University of Vermont Center For Commuity News for a free webinar with Dr. Lauren Walsh, managing director of journalist safety initiatives at the Foley Foundation, and Dr. Tom Durkin, director of safety education at the Foley Foundation.

The GOP’s signature budget bill — OBBBA — cut taxes but also safety net programs, particularly SNAP and Medicaid. Learn to track how new work requirements affect your community with county and state-level data. Join Poynter Beat Academy for a webinar on Feb. 26 at 1 p.m. ET to get localized story ideas that explore where data makes a difference and boost your midterm coverage. Webinar offered free of charge thanks to the support of The Joyce Foundation.

Learning Outcomes

• Quantify SNAP and Medicaid impacts in your coverage area.
• Transform abstract policy into tangible effects on local communities.
• Navigate America’s Essential Data web tool to discover story ideas.
• Grasp how data sets contribute to everyday challenges in business and consumer life.
• Name withdrawn or degraded federal data sets and describe the local consequences.
• Identify data loss workarounds where they exist.