Rob Reid's Journalism Portfolio

I'm a freelance reporter and data journalist, focused primarily on local news. Since September 2023 I've been published in the Concord Monitor, MindSite News, The Current, and Streetsblog Chicago. I also self-publish a neighborhood blog, Humboldt Park Moon, and co-authored a book on the Avondale neighborhood.

As a reporter, my primary topic areas are community health, neighborhood history, and active transportation.

As a data journalist, my focus areas include data wrangling, map-based storytelling, and data visualization.

1. Recently Published Articles
2. Community and History
3. Data Journalism


Recently Published Articles


 
 

Community and History

Images of America: Avondale and Chicago's Polish Village (Arcadia Publishing)

My co-authored history of Chicago's Avondale neighborhood.


 
 

Data Journalism

As a data journalist, my focus areas include data wrangling, map-based storytelling, and data visualization.

     1. Data Wrangling. I have over 20 years of experience in database and data warehouse development. See also my GitHub repository for my more recent work mostly with public datasets.

     2. Map-based Storytelling. Since completing Columbia University's Lede Program for Data Journalism this summer I've been using a variety of tools including QGIS, MapBox, and Javascript to create map-based stories.

     3. Data Visualization. I primarily use Data Wrapper and Flourish to create charts, graphs, and static maps.

Following are a few short data stories as part of Columbia University's Lede Program for Data Journalism in summer 2023.

Still Shouting Above the Din of Our Rice Krispies (Columbia Lede student portfolio)

Not long after Michael Jackson's Thriller began its ascent to selling an all-time record 70 million albums following its release in late 1982, the English power trio The Police twice interrupted Jackson's reign at the top of the charts with their genre-bending... Read More »Not long after Michael Jackson's Thriller began its ascent to selling an all-time record 70 million albums following its release in late 1982, the English power trio The Police twice interrupted Jackson's reign at the top of the charts with their genre-bending...