Top 10 data journalists of 2022

Here are some of the best data journalists to look out for in 2022.

We might be biased, but data journalism is one of the coolest niches out there in the industry. From elections and Covid-19 trackers to analysis of social issues and climate change, data has the power to take stories to the next level.

Our favourite data journalists of 2022 all have the best of both worlds – they know how to clean a messy dataset and, when the grunt work is all done, create some beautiful visualisations.

Keep reading below to see which journalists – in no particular order – you should keep up with in 2022.

1. Mona Chalabi

Chalabi is a data journalist at Guardian US. She’s known for her informative, quirky illustrations and a new podcast with a second season in the works, ‘Am I Normal?’

https://twitter.com/MonaChalabi/status/1501338298823942144?s=20&t=gblsU1CoTMUolUa9j8WJCw

2. John Burn-Murdoch

In the journalism world, Burn-Murdoch is known for being the king of visualising Covid-19 data. Even when the news cycle changes, you can always go to him and his work at the Financial Times to stay updated on the pandemic.

Vaccine rollouts have been enormous successes, immunity levels are high. As a result, any given Omicron infection has a similar fatality risk as seasonal flu, and we’re mixing indoors again. In that sense we’re as close to 2019 as we have ever been https://t.co/cRF6jOLLFJ

But…

— John Burn-Murdoch (@jburnmurdoch) March 17, 2022

3. Rosamund Pearce

For those interested in climate change, Pearce makes great visualisations at the Economist.

Bees practice social distancing when their hive is infected with mites#dataviz with @AinslieJstone https://t.co/tKF9ovBtOZ pic.twitter.com/rAsHbv9OsV

— Rosamund Pearce (@_rospearce) December 2, 2021

4. Niamh McIntyre

At the Guardian, McIntyre mixes investigative journalism with data skills and climate struggles with social issues.

https://twitter.com/niamh_mcintyre/status/1498251347396861952?s=20&t=gblsU1CoTMUolUa9j8WJCw

5. Sam Joiner

Joiner helps to create striking visualisations at the Financial Times, like this long-form story on the Ukraine-Russia war. Click below.

FREE TO READ: Combining mapping, open source reporting and expert analysis, this is the story of how Russia’s mistakes and Ukrainian resistance altered Putin’s war: https://t.co/QJViRqmvU8 pic.twitter.com/SSb4ERji6E

— Sam Joiner (@samjoiner) March 18, 2022

6. Marie Segger

Segger edits the ‘Off the Charts’ newsletter at the Economist – a must-read for anyone interested in data journalism and how it’s made.

The UNHCR expects that up to 4m people, almost 10% of the population, could flee the country in the coming weeks—at current rates that would be reached by March 19th. My article with a map from @eljlees for @TheEconomist: https://t.co/fzgk4scjJm

— Marie Segger (@MarieSegger) March 3, 2022

7. Ashley Kirk

Kirk is a visiting lecturer at our very own City University. At the Guardian, you can look to his work for interactive maps created by him and his colleagues.

Three weeks have passed since Russia invaded Ukraine. This interactive shows how the conflict has progressed in this time

w/ @pablo_gutierrez, @w_strz & @nielsdhg https://t.co/tRok610wVV pic.twitter.com/2WtHnYxO5O

— Ashley Kirk (@Ashley_J_Kirk) March 17, 2022

8. Patricia Clarke

At Tortoise, Patricia Clarke uses data to tell investigative stories. Her investigation into the spiking epidemic was turned into a podcast episode – click below to listen.

I investigated the "epidemic" of needle spiking that swept the nation last autumn. After 6 months and 1,300 police reports, I still haven't found a single confirmed case. So what's really happening?

Listen on @tortoise todayhttps://t.co/Ws1je6O9nx

— Patricia Clarke (@paticlarke) February 21, 2022

9. David Dubas-Fisher

For you sports fans out there, Dubas-Fisher is one to watch.

Can't imagine this'll lead to Abramovich style sanctions, but it's a terrible look for Manchester City to have their majority owner pictured with Bashar al-Assad, perpetrator of war crimes and subject to UK and EU sanctions. https://t.co/dzbJBhwrIf pic.twitter.com/Dk1lI0gp7y

— David Dubas-Fisher (@dubasfisher) March 19, 2022

10. Elizabeth Lees

Another journalist at the Economist, Lees helps to create some of their most engaging maps. Recently, her visualisations have pivoted to the crisis in Ukraine.

An important and thoughtful #dataviz read from @spatialanalysis featuring my @ECONdailycharts map https://t.co/UmBlTC42RZ pic.twitter.com/9Ac3EeBaDA

— Elizabeth Lees (@eljlees) March 5, 2022

We’ll be keeping an eye on the stories put out by these journalists this year.

Want to read more about data journalism?

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