King’s data school | University of King's College

Registration is now open for the 15th anniversary King’s Summer School in Data Journalism. For the first time since 2019, the school will be back in person on the beautiful King’s campus in Halifax. We’re looking forward to welcoming people from across Canada from June 26 to 30.

The ability to work with data to find and tell stories has become an indispensable skill in modern journalism, and the King’s data school gives you the basics in an intensive, five-day course.

Since 2008, we’ve trained more than 200 journalists and journalism students, from small weekly outlets, digital news sites, and some of the country’s largest and most prominent news organizations, including the Canadian Press, Toronto Star and the CBC.

The schools are coordinated by Fred Vallance-Jones, a pioneer in data journalism in Canada and Director of Journalism at King’s.

No experience necessary

You’ll learn the basics you need to find, understand, analyze and visualize data to find and tell important stories. The focus is on data literacy and basic analysis techniques using spreadsheet, mapping and visualization tools. This is the course you need if you’ve been wanting to get started with data journalism but don’t know where to begin. You’ll learn the basics of working with data, how to obtain data, prepare and clean it, and find the patterns and trends that lead to stories.

To maintain the small-class experience, the course is limited to 12 registrations. After that, we’ll keep a waiting list. The school fills up quickly, so sign up early to secure your spot and save on the fee.

The school runs approximately 9-5 Monday to Friday, with two lunches provided. Evenings are free, and we organize one wrap-up social event.

All data we use will either be made available onsite.

Here are the rates for 2023:

	Before May 15	May 15 onward
Students/freelancers/small outlet/income under $30k	$495	$595
Other journalists	$650	$750
Journalism program faculty*	$850	$975
All others	$1,200	$1,500

*Full-time teaching faculty of university or college Journalism programs. Qualification at the sole discretion of the King’s data school

All rates subject to 15% HST

We prefer payment by credit card but will accept cheques. Registration will not be confirmed until payment is confirmed or the cheque has cleared. Please fill out, scan and send the signup form to adminj@ukings.ca.

Note that there are limited spots at the student/freelance/small outlet price.

Students must prove eligibility with a letter from their journalism program (see signup form for details). To establish freelance status, please send a list of links to at least five stories published by professional media organizations within the past six months to kingsdata@ukings.ca (personal blogs to do not qualify and determination of qualifying freelance status will be at the sole discretion of the King’s data school).

Please see the frequently asked questions page for more details, including information about the cancellation policy and accommodations. If you still have questions, contact kingsdata@ukings.ca.

2023 Summer Data School

We are proud to announce that once again, the school is sponsored by our partners at Investintech by Apryse, developers of online PDF solution xodo.com. All registered participants will receive a free license for Able2Extract Professional, which makes it easy to extract data from PDF files. This is an approximate $200 value.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is data journalism?

Data journalism encompasses a lot of things these days, from the data analysis skills that have traditionally been known as computer-assisted reporting, or CAR, to creating simple or complex visualizations, to computer programming and developing news applications. At the online data school, we will cover basic spreadsheet, database and visualization skills.

How would I use data journalism in my work?

Data journalism techniques are valuable for everything from the quick, daily story right on up to massive data investigations and mapping projects. Once you know the skills, you will regularly find ways to make your journalism better using these techniques. Data journalism skills are also in demand, and journalists who have them get the best jobs, as well as the best stories.

Why would I want to take a week-long course?

Experience shows it takes several days to effectively learn these skills, and how and when to apply them. The intensive, one-week approach provides the necessary to master data journalism techniques so you can put them to work with confidence.

How long does the school run?

The data school runs all day Monday to Friday, June 26 to 30.

How many registrations will you take?

The school is limited to 12 signups.

How do I pay?

You can provide your credit card information on the signup form. Please contact adminj@ukings.ca if you wish to relay your credit care information by phone. We can also accept cheques by arrangement.

Can I have you hold a spot or pay part of the fee now and the rest later?

Demand is normally brisk for the schools, so to be fair to everyone involved, we cannot confirm a spot for you until you have paid in full. It is not possible to begin attending the classes without having paid in full.

What is your cancellation policy?

Until May 26, we will refund your fee minus a $50 administration fee. From May 27 to June 16, we will refund half of your fee minus the $50 administration fee. There will be no refunds after June 16. We will waive the penalty in the event that there is a waiting list and another person is available to take your place in the same or higher rate category. The administration fee is payable in all instances.

Where can I stay?

Halifax has a wide variety of accommodations in all price ranges.

King’s rents rooms in its residences during the summer, at the following rates:

Single room daily – $75.00

Single room weekly – $450.00

Double room daily – $110.00

Double room weekly – $660.00

If you prefer the comfort of a hotel, the Lord Nelson Hotel has a special rate. Just indicate you are coming to an event at the University of King’s College.

When will I receive more information?

Registered participants will receive a detailed email with information about the school, a few days before it begins. This will include the full schedule and information about getting to King’s from the airport, Via Rail station, or by road.