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Data Journalist Toolkit

If you are working in data journalism in the UK — whether you are a beginner learning spreadsheets or an experienced analyst working with Python and SQL — this toolkit curates the technical guides, UK data sources, visualisation tools and methodology templates you need. The Data Journalism hub has 23 sub-pages; this page gives you the curated starting points.

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Start here

Data journalism is not primarily about coding — it is about finding stories in numbers that other journalists miss. The technical skills (spreadsheets, SQL, Python) are means to that end. The most important first skill is knowing where UK data lives: the ONS, NHS England, Companies House, local authority transparency data and government statistical publications are collectively one of the richest free datasets in the world.

Start with getting started in data journalism and UK statistical bodies to understand the data landscape. Then work through spreadsheets before moving to SQL or Python.

Core guides for you

Getting started in data journalism UKOverview, mindset and ethics for UK data journalism beginners.Spreadsheet essentialsPivot tables, VLOOKUP and INDEX/MATCH for journalism work.Data visualisation toolsDatawrapper, Flourish and RAWGraphs compared for UK journalism.Mapping UK dataChoropleths, geocoding and Datawrapper maps for UK data stories.UK statistical bodiesONS, NRS Scotland, NISRA and StatsWales for UK data journalism.Statistics for journalistsAverages, percentages and margins of error — the essentials.Data cleaning techniquesHandling messy data and using OpenRefine for journalism datasets.Data storytellingTurning numbers into narratives and choosing charts over prose.SQL for journalistsWriting queries to interrogate large public datasets without coding experience.Python & Pandas for journalistsUsing Python and Pandas to clean, analyse and reshape journalism datasets.Web scraping: UK ethics and legalityWhen scraping is lawful, what the Computer Misuse Act and UK GDPR mean for scrapers.

Tools you'll use weekly

FOI Deadline Calculator
Calculate the statutory 20-working-day response deadline for FOI requests, accounting for public holidays.
FOI Request Builder
Generate a correctly worded FOI request letter for any UK public authority — saves time on routine multi-authority submissions.
Source Verification Checklist
A 12-question checklist to verify datasets and source documents before publishing data-driven claims.

Common pitfalls for data journalists

  • !Skipping the cleaning log. Publishing a data story without documenting what you changed, removed or corrected makes your methodology impossible to defend. Use the Data Journalism Methodology Pack to record every cleaning step before you write a word of copy.
  • !Statistical misinterpretation. Confusing correlation with causation, misreading percentage-point changes as percentages, and cherry-picking a base year to inflate a trend are the most common errors. The statistics for journalists guide covers each of these in plain language.
  • !Ignoring UK GDPR special-category data. Combining datasets that together identify individuals from special-category categories (health, ethnicity, criminal records) attracts higher legal obligations even within the journalism exemption. Get legal advice before publishing any dataset that could re-identify individuals.
  • !Over-relying on a single FOI response. A single authority's data is rarely representative. For national stories, file the same request to every relevant authority and compare responses. Inconsistencies are often the story.
  • !Confusing absolute numbers with rates. A city with twice the crime incidents as a town is not twice as dangerous if it has ten times the population. Always check whether a comparison requires normalisation by population, budget or another denominator.

Blog posts you should read

Data Journalism for BeginnersGetting started with spreadsheets, open data and data visualisation for UK journalists.How to File an FOI Request in the UKStep-by-step FOI guide — the foundation of UK data-driven journalism.GDPR & UK JournalistsHow UK GDPR affects data handling and the journalism exemption.Best Free Tools for UK Journalists 2026Curated list including data, research and visualisation tools.

Templates that save you time

Data Journalism Methodology PackMethodology note, data source log, cleaning log and reproducibility checklist.FOI Starter PackFOI request letters, internal review letter and ICO complaint template.

FAQs for data journalists

What are the best sources of free data for UK data journalism?
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is the primary source for economic, social and population data. NHS England publishes detailed health data including outcomes and workforce statistics. The Ministry of Justice publishes court and criminal justice datasets. Companies House offers free bulk data downloads. The UK Data Service provides survey and longitudinal datasets for researchers. GOV.UK data.gov.uk aggregates hundreds of public sector datasets. For local data, every local authority must publish a transparency dataset including spending over £500.
Do I need to know how to code to do data journalism in the UK?
Not necessarily. Many excellent data journalism projects are built entirely in spreadsheets. Excel and Google Sheets can handle pivot tables, VLOOKUP, sorting, filtering and basic chart creation that will serve you through the majority of data stories. SQL is useful for larger datasets; Python with pandas adds significant power. The Data Journalism hub guides take you from beginner-level spreadsheets through to Python workflows.
What visualisation tools are most commonly used in UK data journalism?
Datawrapper is the most widely used tool for charts, maps and tables in UK digital newsrooms because it requires no coding and produces clean, embeddable graphics. Flourish is an alternative that offers more template variety and interactive features. For mapping, Datawrapper handles basic choropleths well; QGIS is the standard tool for more complex geospatial work. RAWGraphs covers unusual chart types. Adobe Illustrator or Figma are used for bespoke designs.
What methodology obligations apply when publishing data journalism in the UK?
Best practice, reinforced by the ONS Code of Practice and the journalism ethics codes, requires that data journalism makes its methodology transparent: state the source, state the date of the data, explain any cleaning or processing steps, and be clear about what the data can and cannot show. The Data Journalism Methodology Pack gives you a template for documenting and publishing your methodology alongside stories.
How do I use FOI requests to build a data-driven investigation?
FOI works best in combination with other data sources. Identify what information you need that is not already published, check whether it is held by a public authority (use the ICO's public authority register), and file a specific, targeted request. For a data-driven investigation, you may need to file dozens of identical requests to every local authority, NHS trust or police force. The FOI Deadline Calculator helps you track deadlines; the FOI Request Builder generates the text.
How do I handle UK GDPR when working with personal data in a journalism investigation?
UK GDPR contains a journalism exemption (Schedule 2, Part 5 of the Data Protection Act 2018) that allows journalists to process personal data without meeting some of the usual compliance requirements, provided it is done with a view to publication and in the public interest. However, special-category data — health, ethnicity, political opinions, criminal records — attracts higher obligations even within the exemption. Do not combine and publish datasets that identify individuals from special-category data without legal advice.
What is web scraping and is it legal in the UK?
Web scraping means using automated tools to collect data published on websites. In the UK the legality depends on several factors: the terms and conditions of the target site, whether the data is personal data (UK GDPR applies), and whether scraping breaches the Computer Misuse Act 1990. Scraping publicly available non-personal data in reasonable volumes for journalism purposes is generally lower risk, but you should read the site's terms of service and consult the web scraping ethics guide before proceeding.

Where to next

The Data Journalism hub is your primary home with 23 sub-pages from beginner to advanced. For investigations that pair data with documents and sources, see the Investigative Reporter toolkit. For the FOI skills that power data journalism, the FOI hub covers every request type and appeal route.

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Primary sources

Related guides

Data JournalismGetting Started with Data JournalismRead →Data JournalismSQL for JournalistsRead →Data JournalismPython & Pandas for JournalistsRead →Data JournalismData Sources UKRead →TemplatesData Journalism Methodology PackRead →ToolsInteractive ToolsRead →InvestigativeVerification WorkflowsRead →