ProPublica Hires Nick McMillan to Uncover New Stories with Data-Driven Journalism

Nick McMillan Joins ProPublica as Computational Journalist ProPublica has announced the hiring of Nick McMillan as a computational journalist on its data and news apps team. In this role, McMillan will leverage technology and data to uncover stories that would otherwise be inaccessible. According to Ken Schwencke, senior editor for data and news applications at ProPublica, "Nick has an impressive track record of using cutting-edge technology to unlock reporting paths. I'm excited for him to use those skills to hold power to account at ProPublica." McMillan joins ProPublica from NPR, where he served as a data journalist on the investigations team. During his tenure, he combined reporting with data analysis, developing tools that transformed raw records into evidence for investigations. One notable example of McMillan's work is his development of a custom optical character recognition program to parse more than 7,000 government work task files. This project revealed how a federal program was killing thousands of wild animals with little accountability. McMillan also co-reported a story exposing how power lines operated by Southern California Edison sparked new fires as crews battled existing ones. He created a tool that processed and transcribed over 2,000 hours of first responder radio into searchable, timestamped audio. ProPublica's hiring of McMillan reflects the growing importance of computational journalism in investigative reporting. As technology continues to evolve, journalists are increasingly turning to data analysis and machine learning to uncover complex stories. "Computational journalism is not just about using tools; it's about asking new questions and finding new ways to tell stories," said Schwencke. "Nick brings a unique combination of technical expertise and journalistic instincts that will serve ProPublica well in this role." McMillan's appointment marks the latest addition to ProPublica's data and news apps team, which has been at the forefront of using technology to drive investigative reporting. As McMillan begins his new role, he is poised to continue pushing the boundaries of what is possible with computational journalism. With his expertise in developing innovative tools and analyzing complex data sets, he will undoubtedly uncover new stories that shed light on important issues affecting society. ProPublica's commitment to using technology to drive investigative reporting has yielded numerous high-profile exposés in recent years, including investigations into government corruption, corporate malfeasance, and environmental degradation. With McMillan on board, the organization is likely to continue producing groundbreaking work that holds those in power accountable. As Schwencke noted, "We're thrilled to have Nick join our team and look forward to seeing the impact he will make." *Reporting by Propublica.*