Two students and a professor from the School of Journalism and Strategic Media discussed the evolution of Arkansascovid.com at an international data journalism conference sponsored by Northeastern University.

Katy Seiter, a graduate student; Mary Hennigan, an undergraduate student; and assistant professor Rob Wells spoke Feb. 19 at the Computational and Journalism Symposium, co-hosted by Northeastern University and the Brown Institute for Media Innovation.

Seiter and Hennigan spoke about their roles as assistant editors of Arkansascovid.com. Seiter shared coding and data visualizations that improved and automated the workflow of the news site. Hennigan discussed using state data to supply the public with daily updates on the pandemic's impact on communities of color. Wells described the history of Arkansascovid.com and how the site is managed within his data journalism course.

The Computational and Journalism Symposium, co-hosted by Northeastern University and the Brown Institute for Media Innovation, is an international conference addressing the latest issues in data journalism. The 2021 symposium, held virtually, had more than 900 attendees from across the world.

About Arkansascovid.com: The University of Arkansas School of Journalism and Strategic Media operates Arkansascovid.com as an independent source of news and as a community service for Arkansas residents. Arkansascovid.com provides county-level COVID-19 data and fact-checks data being presented by the Arkansas Department of Health, media and other sources to ensure accuracy and transparency. Students produce content under the supervision of Rob Wells, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Journalism. @arkansascovid

About the School of Journalism and Strategic Media: The School of Journalism and Strategic Media is dedicated to excellence in teaching, research and media discourse. Students in our journalism degree programs receive instruction, guidance and access to hands-on experience from our seasoned, award-winning faculty and staff. Areas of study include news editorial and reporting, broadcast, public relations, advertising and digital media. @uarkjournalism