The best data journalism podcasts, information overload in human rights reporting and more in this week's Digital Media Mash Up, produced by the Center for International Media Assistance.

The best five podcasts about data journalism

In this list, I have collected some of the best podcasts about data. Some are specifically about data journalism, whereas others approach data from an innovative perspective. (Carla Pedret, Global Investigative Journalism Network, 3/14)

In human rights reporting, the perils of too much information

Last month, the human rights organization Amnesty International revealed the exact location of a mass burial site on the outskirts of Bujumbura, Burundi. It allegedly held the bodies of at least 50 people who died from political violence in December of last year. International media outlets like The New York Times, Reuters and Foreign Policy were quick to report on the site’s importance, saying it adds to the growing evidence of atrocities, including murder, violence and gang rape committed by the Burundian security forces. (Columbia Journalism Review, 3/14)

How the virtual reality 'empathy machine' could affect storytelling

Since Ivan Sutherland proposed a "3D, head mounted display" nearly 40 years ago, research on virtual reality has taken huge leaps in medical, military and educational settings, as well as within the field of journalism.

In fact, a report released on Sunday from the Knight Foundation and the USA Today Network predicts that 2016 will be a significant year for the development of virtual reality as more and more newsrooms begin to recognize its potential. (Journalism.co.uk, 3/18)

New York Times cracks down on anonymous sources

The New York Times on Tuesday unveiled a stricter policy for anonymous sourcing, requiring every instance of anonymity to be approved by a top editor at the newspaper.

The guidelines, announced to the newsroom in an email from Executive Editor Dean Baquet, were reached after consultation with the Times' "most experienced reporters and editors" and demands that faceless sourcing be subjected to a higher degree of scrutiny. (Poynter, 3/15)

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