Statistical cooperation and data journalism on Barents agenda

The conference, which took place in Kirkenes on 6-7th February, included prominent representatives of statistical services, researchers and journalists from the four Barents countries and beyond.

High on the agenda were prospects for an enhanced cooperation between the statistical services in the region and the development of data journalism among regional journalists.

”The Barents Region has the most developed infrastructure, industry and populated settlements in the Arctic and is on the threshold of major change. Statistical cooperation and data journalism are tools which will enable us to better understand the developments in the area”, Barents Secretariat leader Rune Rafaelsen says.

The conference included a workshop in data journalism and a meeting between the statistical services. The latter event was chaired by Deputy Head of Statistics Norway Olav Ljones. “Comparable statistics across countries and regions is a prerequisite in a globalized society”, Ljones said, adding that the four countries’ statistical services now have an ambition to establish a formalized permanent Barents statistical cooperation.

The conference included a presentation of Patchwork Barents, the new data portal and data journalism training website developed by the Barents Secretariat and Jefferson Institute.

Represented at the event was also a delegation from Bulgaria, which is involved in a similar initiative on data journalism and statistical cooperation development in the Balkan region.