Baltimore Data Day: Data on Tap

Data makes Baltimore’s stories shine. From Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage on the overdose crisis to first of its kind analysis of public transit travel times for city students, The Baltimore Banner is at the forefront of merging innovative data analysis and investigative journalism. As one of the rare newsrooms to maintain a public GitHub repository, the Banner invites readers, researchers, and fellow journalists to dig into the data themselves—reproducing findings, exploring methods, and even building upon the analysis to tell new stories.

To kick off the 16th Annual Baltimore Data Day, the Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance (BNIA-JFI) presents Data on Tap, an engaging conversation with reporters from The Baltimore Banner. At this special event, attendees will meet the data journalism team and learn how the Banner identifies and prioritizes stories, develops analytical approaches to understanding complex topics, and will get a special preview of stories on the horizon.

Join us to learn how data-driven journalism comes to life in Baltimore!

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Ryan Little is the data editor at The Baltimore Banner, where he leads newsroom's data journalism efforts. His work analyzing large datasets and scraping the web has won multiple national awards and led to at least one Department of Justice investigation. He was a lead editor of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize and a Polk Award for coverage of Baltimore's overdose crisis. Little is a dedicated mentor to aspiring data journalists and frequently speaks on the role of data in uncovering vital stories.

Greg Morton is a data journalist for The Baltimore Banner. Since joining in 2023, he has published dozens of stories ranging from an investigation that modeled every Baltimore student's route to school on public transit to a feature about professional wrestling. Greg was part of the reporting team that won a 2024 IRE Award for The Banner's coverage of the Key Bridge collapse.

Sahana Jayaraman is a data reporter for the Baltimore Banner. She uses code to interrogate large datasets and identify trends and patterns, then pairs her findings with anecdotes to write compelling stories. She focuses on equipping readers with essential news and context about the world around them and exposing systemic ills and exploitation. Before she arrived at The Banner, Sahana worked at The Arizona Republic and at The Washington Post. She has a proven track record of impact and recognition: Her coverage of assisted living facilities in Arizona spurred a state law that increased protections for residents with dementia and won a 2024 IRE award. At the Post, she was part of the team that won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.

Allan James Vestal is a data journalist who has previously worked for POLITICO, Bloomberg News, The Dallas Morning News and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He’s been part of teams that have exposed serious flaws in the nation’s newborn screening system, tracked the root causes of deadly natural gas pipeline explosions and found tragic accountability gaps in state-run nursing homes for military veterans. His work has led to state and federal reforms and has been honored by the Gerald Loeb Awards, the Selden Ring Award for Investigative Reporting and the Livingston Award for Young Journalists, among others. In 2020, 2022 and 2024, Vestal directed teams of journalists and developers in building interactive election-night experiences, combining real-time data with deep context and expert analysis

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