Points Unknown, a workshop designed for journalism students, is a four-week series that introduces students to spatial investigative and visualization techniques. News unfolds in places and every newsworthy event is shaped by the details of location. Those details might include the specifics of a neighborhood as it is today or of the history leading to its current configurations. Alongside the development of web technologies, journalistic organizations have incorporated web-based maps to enhance reader engagement with stories. But these interactions haven’t always been easy to produce. Points Unknown will train journalism students in GIS and mapping techniques to analyze and visualize spatial information.
The workshop will take place every Wednesday in February from 8-10am. No experience is necessary to participate in this program. This hands-on workshop will allow participants to recognize and visualize geographical patterns that often play a vital role in news reporting.
For more information, write mkrisch@columbia.edu.