The role of the data journalist has increased dramatically over the last decade.The past few months have seen the launch of several high-profile “data journalism” or “explanatory journalism” websites in the U.S. and the UK – such as Nate Silver’s recently relaunched and somewhat controversial FiveThirtyEight; Trinity Mirror’s ampp3d, a mobile-first site that publishes snappy viral infographics; The Upshot from The New York Times, which aims to put news into context with data; and Vox, where former Washington Post blogger Ezra Klein leads a team that provides “crucial contextual information” around news. The debates (pro and con) around these projects have brought data journalism out of its niche in digital media conferences and trade publications into the limelight.