1. Finding data sets
2. Analyzing or combining them
3. Visualizing them
4. Telling a story
Governments increasingly are sharing data.
Despite this trend, government at all levels can be reluctant to share data. In those cases, journalists may need to use:
Another common problem is that data is available online,
but in a format that makes it hard to use, like PDF.
But there are tools for extracting and cleaning data.
Turn it into a map, or a chart. As in print journalism, choose the form of the visualization based on the story you're telling.
Taking statistics or similar courses can be very useful in learning how to analyze and compare data. But even if you don't have that particular training, there are simple/free tools to help.