Nick McMillan Joins ProPublica as Computational Journalist
ProPublica has hired Nick McMillan as a computational journalist on its data and news apps team, bringing his expertise in using technology to uncover stories that would otherwise be inaccessible. In this role, McMillan will leverage cutting-edge tools and data analysis to hold power accountable.
McMillan's impressive track record of innovative reporting was highlighted by Ken Schwencke, senior editor for data and news applications at ProPublica. "I'm excited for him to use those skills to uncover new stories and shed light on important issues," Schwencke said.
Before joining ProPublica, McMillan worked as a data journalist on the investigations team at NPR, where he combined reporting with data analysis to build tools that transformed raw records into evidence for investigations. One notable example of his work was developing a custom optical character recognition program to parse more than 7,000 government work task files. This tool helped reveal 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. To support this investigation, he created a tool that processed and transcribed more than 2,000 hours of first responder radio into searchable, timestamped audio files.
ProPublica's hiring of McMillan reflects the growing importance of computational journalism in uncovering complex stories and shedding light on issues that might otherwise go unreported. As Schwencke noted, "Computational journalists like Nick are using technology to ask new questions and find new answers, which is essential for holding power accountable."
McMillan's expertise will be a valuable asset to ProPublica's data and news apps team, where he will work alongside other computational journalists to develop innovative tools and reporting techniques. As McMillan begins his new role, he looks forward to using his skills to uncover new stories and make a meaningful impact.
Background: Computational journalism is an emerging field that combines technology, data analysis, and traditional reporting to uncover complex stories and shed light on important issues. ProPublica has been at the forefront of this movement, hiring computational journalists like McMillan to develop innovative tools and reporting techniques.
Implications: The hiring of McMillan by ProPublica highlights the growing importance of computational journalism in uncovering complex stories and shedding light on issues that might otherwise go unreported. As technology continues to evolve, it is likely that we will see more computational journalists like McMillan using data analysis and innovative tools to ask new questions and find new answers.
Next developments: ProPublica has not announced any specific projects or initiatives involving McMillan at this time. However, as he begins his new role, it is likely that we will see him working on a range of stories and investigations that leverage his expertise in computational journalism.
*Reporting by Propublica.*
