Check out #DataJournos to see what was happening in the news as it is reported through Twitter.
Below are a few clips from Feb. 8 through Feb. 17 that use charts, graphs, maps, and more to depict information, data, and current events in our world.
All the ways Zika can spread, ranked by scientific certainty
https://twitter.com/jillian__laurel/status/696766330066718722
Since arriving in Brazil more than a year ago, Zika has affected more than million people across the Western Hemisphere and been linked to a birth defect known as microcephaly. However, Zika continues to remain a mystery to many–including scientists who are still learning how the virus spreads.
According to Vox writer Julia Beluz, the following is what we know so far about how Zika can spread:
- You’re most likely to get Zika through a Aedes aegypti mosquito bite
- Zika can be passed on from moms to fetuses
- Zika can be sexually transmitted, although this is rare
- Zika can be spread through blood transfusions
- It’s possible Zika could be spread through saliva or urine, but research is very limited
Because the carriers of the virus typically do not demonstrate any symptoms, medical attention is not sought and has made Zika difficult to track and study. As a result, it is believed that outbreak is far worse than previously reported.
American electoral: Seven strange days on the trail with Kevin Baker and Jack Hitt
https://twitter.com/jillian__laurel/status/697302382502244352
For one week, journalists Kevin Baker and Jack Hitt traveled across New Hampshire and South Carolina to report on the US presidential primaries. Starting on Feb. 8 with Day 1, known as the Campaign of Magical Thinking, Baker and Hitt explained the importance of lawn signs in the New Hamspire primary. While the two admittedly steal the signs across the state (for research of course), they have come to realize the representation of lawn signs correlates with the candidates’ standings in the primary. For example, in 2008, Fred Thompson’s signs were a rarity from Baker and Hitt–Thompson finished sixth in the primaries with 1.23 percent of votes. “The lawn signs don’t lie,” says Hitt.
With the remaining 7 days, Baker and Hitt explain the madness of primaries and the “nastiness” it entails.
Americans less likely to see U.S. as No. 1 militarily
https://twitter.com/jillian__laurel/status/699335172378898432
Is the United States the number one military in the world? According to a recent Gallup poll, Americans are evenly split with 49 percent agreeing “yes” and 49 percent answering “no.” The percentage of those who agree in America being the world’s top military power is the lowest Gallup has seen in 23 years and is a drastic decrease from last February’s 59 percent. According to Gallup, the sharp drop in “percentage of Americans who believe the U.S. is the No. 1 military power in the world may reflect worries about international terrorism” and growing threats to our country. The data also reflects an issue that many Americans may choose to question in the presidential election campaign.
Active hate groups in the United States in 2015
https://twitter.com/jillian__laurel/status/700034743350403072
892 hate groups are being reported across the United States. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the number of hate groups has increased nearly 14 percent since 2014. As demonstrated by SPLC, the increase in hate groups largely correlates with the rise in Latino immigration (and the prediction of whites no longer being the dominant population by 2040) and Obama’s election to office. However, due to ISIS terrorist attacks in recent years, there has also been an increase of anti-Muslim hate groups. Despite a decrease in hate groups from 2013-2014, the number of hate groups is expected to drastically rise again and continue growing.
jillianmartinez 