Digging into crime data to inform news coverage across beats

Crime data can inform news reporting across many topics, from local government to legal affairs to economics to immigration. It’s important to know where to find reliable data and how to use it responsibly.

Whether you’re an experienced reporter or fresh on your beat, watch this hour-long webinar to gain insights from George LeVines and Mensah M. Dean of The Trace, a nonprofit newsroom that covers gun violence, and Jeffrey Butts, executive director of the John Jay Research and Evaluation Center.

Topics discussed include:

• How to use The Trace’s Gun Violence Data Hub, which aims to be the “single most reliable and expansive resource for gun violence in the U.S.”
• What journalists sometimes get wrong about crime data, research and policy aimed at improving community safety — and how to get it right.
• How to find story ideas in local and national crime data.
• How to navigate ebbs and flows in the quality of gun violence research when presidential administrations change — and what to know about crime data and research one year into the second administration of President Donald Trump.

Panelists:

Jeffrey A. Butts is a research professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and Executive Director of the John Jay Research and Evaluation Center. His work focuses on discovering and improving the effectiveness of policies and programs related to the justice system.

Mensah M. Dean is a staff writer at The Trace covering policies and solutions related to gun violence in the Philadelphia metropolitan area.

George LeVines is the editor of The Trace’s Gun Violence Data Hub, planning and managing the bits, bytes and resources that make it possible.

Moderator:

Clark Merrefield is the senior editor for economics and legal systems at The Journalist’s Resource.