Data Journalist

Role Overview

You will join the BBC News Africa team as a digital journalist, turning complex developments from across the continent into clear, accurate and engaging stories for global audiences. Your days will be split between monitoring wires and social feeds, verifying facts, interviewing sources, and producing multimedia packages that work equally well on the BBC News website, video channels and audio platforms. This role matters because the team’s reporting shapes how millions of people understand Africa — from breaking political crises to neglected data stories that need rigorous, impartial analysis.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop original story angles from raw data, public records and audience trends, then pitch and publish data-driven articles, interactive visuals and explainers for digital readers.
• Cover live events as they unfold, writing accurate rolling updates, coordinating with stringers and correspondents, and packaging content for social media, mobile and desktop experiences.
• Research, conduct interviews, write, edit and self-check scripts and articles before publication, ensuring strict compliance with BBC editorial guidelines and impartiality standards.
• Adapt existing broadcast and wire content into fresh digital-first formats, including short video clips, simple data visualisations and audio summaries tailored to different audience behaviours.
• Collaborate with other BBC News desks in London, Nairobi, Dakar and beyond to share source material, avoid duplication and ensure major Africa stories receive consistent, high-quality coverage.
• Take an active role in major editorial projects — from election nights to climate reports — by maintaining a clear running log of priorities, updating senior editors and stepping in to cover gaps quickly.
• Support live and pre-recorded programme production when needed, including writing cue cards, researching guest background and assisting with technical checks under time pressure.
• Flag potential safety, legal or ethical risks in story planning and production, following established health and safety procedures for field work, remote contributors and user-generated content.

Requirements & Qualifications

• A minimum of five years’ professional journalism experience, with a strong portfolio showing original digital, multimedia, data or visual storytelling aimed at diverse international audiences.
• Demonstrable skill in gathering, cleaning and interpreting data sets — using spreadsheets, basic coding or tools like Flourish, Datawrapper or similar — to find and present stories that others miss.
• Proven editorial judgment, with the ability to verify information quickly under deadline pressure and to separate rumour, opinion and fact when reporting on sensitive or fast-moving events.
• Hands-on expertise with content management systems, social media publishing tools, video editing software and mobile reporting kits, plus an understanding of how search and audience analytics shape story placement.
• A track record of working collaboratively in a newsroom, including sharing story ideas, handling feedback from editors and coordinating with producers, camera crews and freelance contributors.
• Excellent organisational ability, with the resilience to juggle breaking news, long-term projects and routine publishing duties without losing accuracy or composure.
• An awareness of — and commitment to — the BBC’s public service mission, including diversity, inclusion and workplace safety responsibilities in a broadcasting environment.