An in-person training workshop
Join the Minnesota Journalism Center and the Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists for hands-on training in using Google Tools for investigative reporting.
Freelance data journalist and Google Tools trainer Samantha Sunne will lead participants in a free, in-person workshop focusing on Google PinPoint and Google Public Data Explorer. Sunne co-authored a textbook on data reporting, "Data + Journalism: A Story-Driven Approach to Learning Data Reporting," and was a Local News Reporting Fellow with ProPublica in New Orleans.
Register for the workshop: Sign up to join the in-person training
You will walk away with new tools you can implement immediately to help organize and refine your investigative and accountability work. Sign up now; space is limited!
- Date: Tuesday, Aug. 5 2025
- Time: 6-8 p.m.
- Where: Murphy Hall, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus (East Bank)
- Who it's for: All journalists — at any stage of their career, in any corner of the newsroom, professionals or students — who want to learn how to use Google Tools like Pinpoint and Public Data Explorer. It will be particularly helpful for journalists who want to learn how to refine their approach to organizing public records for investigative work, beat reporting or large projects.
- Tools or skills needed: You'll need to bring a laptop, but you don't have to have experience with Google Tools to get something out of this session.
- RSVP: Register now for the in-person training. Space is limited!
Looking forward to seeing you there!
Thank you to SPJ and Google News Initiative for their sponsorship of this event.
Meet the instructor
Samantha Sunne is a freelance journalist based in New Orleans, La. She is the recipient of three national grants and several local awards for investigative reporting. She speaks at conferences, universities and newsrooms around the world, teaching digital tools and tech literacy for journalists. Her work has been published by the Washington Post, NPR and Reuters, and recommended by the Poynter Institute and the Harvard Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy. Connect with Samantha on LinkedIn
Partners and sponsors
The Minnesota Journalism Center, a project of the University of Minnesota's Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication, supports a more vibrant, equitable, and sustainable ecosystem for journalism in Minnesota through educational initiatives, applied research and engagement with newsrooms and journalists across the state.
The Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists offers tools to make the business of journalism easier. We share detailed information about the work of SPJ and the issues most relevant to today’s journalists.
SPJ, the oldest, largest and broadest-based organization of journalists in the U.S., was founded as Sigma Delta Chi in 1909. The Minnesota Chapter was founded in 1956. The chapter membership totals about 130. Since its founding, the Minnesota Pro chapter has received various honors, including outstanding large chapter of the year (more than 75 members), and recognition for its work in FOI, campus relations, member communication and programming.
Google established the Google News Initiative "to scale our work with journalists, publishers, and industry leaders to help build a resilient future for news around the globe."
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Questions about the training? Contact the Minnesota Journalism Center's Meg Martin ([email protected])
About the Minnesota Journalism Center
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