2022
Maha Salaheldin
Country/area: Egypt
Organisation: Masrawy.com
Organisation size: Big
Cover letter:
My name is Maha Salah El-Din, a digital and data investigative journalist at an Egyptian digital press organization. I am considered one of the first Egyptian and Arab journalists in the field of data journalism, as I started to take an interest in this field since 2014, I started taking training courses, in infographics, and what is available in Egypt, and then started taking more advanced courses in data journalism online, and outside Egypt.
Until I specialized in this field since 2017, and obtained a professional diploma in data journalism supported by the Knight Fellowship for International Journalists, and Arij Network for Investigative Journalism. I am the first journalist to win ARIJ award for the best data-driven investigation in the Arab world in 2018.
In addition, I am the recipient of many local, Arab and international awards, in digital and humanitarian journalism, investigative reports, and specialized awards such as the European Union Award for Migration Issues. Currently, I am a nominee for the International True Story Prize, which will take place in Switzerland in June 2022.
All of these awards were earned through data-driven and digital projects, using various data processing techniques.
In addition, I decided to specialize in data science and study statistics as an academic postgraduate study at Cairo University.
In this cycle of the award, I wanted to present a summary of my work to establish the first unit specialized in data journalism in Egyptian newsrooms, with an individual effort, by sending data-driven project models, of varying sizes, between large projects, in-depth reports, and daily reports, in all fields, to make The idea of having a unit specialized in data journalism in Arab newsrooms is a possible idea, and it is not limited to serious or elitist sections.
Description of portfolio:
As one of the first journalists specializing in data journalism in Egypt, I worked during 2021 to establish the first unit specialized in data journalism in Egyptian newsrooms, with an individual effort, starting with the idea, and data collection, through modern technologies, such as data scraping, data cleaning, analysis and interrogation. Then the simplification and writing, and the visual and interactive representation of the data.
During that year, I fed all departments of the organization with data-driven stories across the fields: politics, economics, gender, climate change, culture and tourism, crime, sports, and art.
The stories varied, between large projects about Egypt’s adaptation to climate changes, through the use of solar energy to light the Egyptian oases.
And in-depth reports, such as measuring the impact of the first wave of Corona on various areas of the Egyptian economy through data, which was reflected in the improvement of those sectors later.
Murders of women against the backdrop of so-called honor, analysis of the speeches of the political leaders who took over the leadership of Egypt after the 2011 revolution, reports that monitor the neglect of historical heritage in Egypt, through data and satellite images.
In addition to data-driven reports and projects in the fields of art and sports, we can ensure that data-driven journalism can be used in all fields, and is not limited to only serious sections.
In addition to daily reports, on trending topics is an analysis in only one chart, under the name (the ranker) in all areas, so that we can assure that data journalism, can enter into the daily work of press organizations, and not a requirement that those projects take Long weeks and months.
