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THE Detail has appointed two new data journalists to our innovative Detail Data project.
Lindsay Fergus and Cormac Campbell will work with Kathryn Torney (Deputy Editor of The Detail) to analyse datasets and publish major data-driven journalism projects over three years.
Detail Data is a partnership between The Detail and the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (NICVA), the representative and umbrella body for the voluntary and community sector.
The project has received funding from The Big Lottery Fund in Northern Ireland and Atlantic Philanthropies.
The Detail has been building up expertise in data journalism for almost three years and to date has reported on key social issues including suicide deaths in Northern Ireland, domestic abuse, ambulance response times, welfare reform, dementia diagnosis, youth crime and educational achievement.
The new project will enable us to link even more closely with local community and voluntary groups to turn data into a powerful resource for social change.
Lindsay Fergus started her career in journalism in 1996 with the Mourne Observer. She has worked as a reporter for the News Letter, Sunday People, Irish Daily Mirror and most recently for the Belfast Telegraph where she held the posts of business editor and education correspondent. Prior to that she was editor of Licensed and Catering News and news editor for the Daily Mirror (NI) and Ireland on Sunday. Contact: email [email protected] or via Twitter @LindsayFergus
Cormac Campbell began his career as a journalist with Setanta Sports in 2006 before taking up a position covering politics and public expenditure with the Newry Reporter in 2007. In 2013, he was named Regional Journalist of the Year by RTE 2fm’s breakfast show. A former editor of irish-boxing.com (2007-2011), Cormac also worked as a freelance sports reporter for the Irish News (2014-15). Contact: email [email protected] or via Twitter @CC_TheDetail
Alongside the high-impact investigative journalism, NICVA will train members of voluntary and community groups to empower them to work with data and to use it in their campaigning and service planning.
NICVA has appointed Andrea Thornbury as Detail Data Project Coordinator. Andrea has 12 years of social research experience, first working as a research assistant in the School of Law at Queen’s University Belfast and as a research officer in NICVA. Andrea has undertaken research into areas relevant to the voluntary and community sector such as charitable giving, employment and salaries, income and expenditure and forecast surveys. Contact: email [email protected] or via Twitter @AndreaThornbury
- To see our data stories to date click here.