Some of the topics discussed in the conference included the growing public demand for data-based content due to the COVID-19 pandemic -- especially via the latest technologies that can offer interactivity and an immersive experience -- and collaborative fact-checking by media in Indonesia and abroad to fight disinformation.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, data-based journalism plays an essential role in delivering accurate news quickly. More and more people see the benefits and opportunities in data-based news,” said deputy press attaché of the United States embassy to the Republic of Indonesia, Nicholas Geisinger, during the closing ceremony at Ashley Wahid Hasyim Hotel, Central Jakarta.

The workshops also gained a fair share of the registrants’ attention. Participants learned how to use data processing, data visualization and fact-checking tools made possible by technological advancements in the newsroom. As a result, they became more skilled in using data and technology to help them think critically about various issues.

“Through a series of workshops and seminars at this conference, journalists, journalism students and professors are becoming more adept at data- and computational-journalism as well as its latest technologies. We hope that moving forward, they can share the knowledge that they gained and implement it in the newsroom. The high-quality journalistic products they create can better inform the public and have a positive impact,” said the project officer of DCJ-CI 2022, Utami Diah Kusumawati.

Also discussed in the seminars were impactful data-journalism projects such as the plasma scheme of Indonesian palm oil companies to the Panama Papers, which unveiled global money-laundering scandals. Other topics included the growth of data and computational practices during the pandemic presented by Reuters senior graphic editor, Adolfo Arranz; data journalism and visualization principles by a Knight Chair in visual journalism at the School of Communication, the University of Miami, Alberto Cairo; and the use of machine learning in newsrooms by adjunct faculty, LEDE program director at Columbia University, Jonathan Soma.

Various experts and practitioners also led workshops for participants including editorial-lead BBC visual- and data-journalism, Shadab Nazmi, who guided them to operate the R software. Then, on the last day, data journalist at ABC News, Inga Ting, joined managing director of Tempo, Agoeng Wijaya and fact-checking producer at Reuters, Sofia Parades Montiel, to discuss the future of data- and computational-journalism within the next five years.

“This is my first time joining an international conference and for me, it was very insightful. I [gained new insight] on data and data-searching processes,” said Fina Nabila, a journalist who attended DCJ-JI 2022.

Moving forward, DCJ-CI will continue to be held annually and present the best practices in data journalism, explore the latest technologies and present a range of data software. It will serve as a platform for knowledge exchange between US and Indonesian practitioners, as well as building a network with data-journalism professionals from the United Kingdom, Malaysia, Singapore, Sweden, Australia, Nepal and more.

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