Nick McMillan Joins ProPublica as Computational Journalist

ProPublica has employed Nick McMillan as a computational journalist on our knowledge and information apps group. On this position, McMillan will use know-how and knowledge in revolutionary methods to seek out and report tales that might in any other case be out of attain.

“Nick has a formidable observe report of utilizing cutting-edge know-how to unlock reporting paths,” mentioned Ken Schwencke, senior editor for knowledge and information functions. “I’m excited for him to make use of these abilities to carry energy to account at ProPublica.”

McMillan involves ProPublica from NPR, the place he was an information journalist on the investigations group. At NPR, he mixed reporting with knowledge evaluation, constructing instruments that reworked uncooked data into proof for investigations. His work included growing a customized optical character recognition program to parse greater than 7,000 authorities work process recordsdata, which helped to disclose how a federal program was killing hundreds of untamed animals with little accountability. He additionally co-reported a narrative revealing how energy strains operated by Southern California Edison sparked new fires as crews battled present ones, making a instrument that processed and transcribed greater than 2,000 hours of first responder radio into searchable, time-stamped timelines. Earlier than NPR, he labored on investigative documentaries at Newsy, contributing to reporting on white supremacists within the U.S. army and on the long-term results of Hurricane Maria on Puerto Rican schoolchildren.

Tales that McMillan has labored on have been acknowledged nationwide with honors together with the Nationwide Press Award and an Edward R. Murrow Award.

“ProPublica has led the way in which for making use of knowledge and computational methodologies to uncover
abuses of energy,” McMillan mentioned. “I’m excited to affix the group and grateful for the chance to contribute to investigations that serve the general public.”