Daniel Wheaton
Data Journalist, Midwest NewsroomContact: dwheaton@nebraskapublicmedia.org
Daniel Wheaton is a data journalist with experiences across multiple platforms.
At The San Diego Union-Tribune (2016-2021), he was part of the graphics team which provided data visualizations to all sections of the paper— from the Padres to the pandemic. During his tenure there, Wheaton played a role in uncovering former Rep. Duncan Hunter’s misspending of campaign finance funds, which led to his indictment by the FBI. He also helped cover the Poway Synagogue Shooting, an
antisemitic attack in East County. He also hosted and produced the paper’s daily news podcast “The San Diego News Fix” which highlighted the top story each day from the U-T. His work was shared among tronc papers, as well as The Los Angeles Times while the LAT and U-T were part of the same company. Wheaton also was part of the team to create “The San Diego County Almanac” — a yearly special which highlighted more than 90 cities, neighborhoods and communities in the county with maps, data and vignettes.
As an undergraduate at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (2015), Wheaton interned at The Omaha World-Herald (2015), Newsday (2015), The Scripps Howard Foundation Wire (2014) and KFOR1240 (2013). He also held multiple positions at The Daily Nebraskan (2011-15).
Now with the Midwest Newsroom, Wheaton is the point person on all things data — analysis, visualization and assistance with public records. He also occasionally teaches communication design and data journalism courses at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s College of Journalism and Mass Communications, as well as coaches University Speech and Debate. He’s judged countless tournaments, including 4 national final rounds at the collegiate level.
Wheaton has lived in both rural and urban parts of Nebraska, and attended the state’s flagship university, The University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
His undergraduate journalism experiences in Nebraska included working in student media, local radio, and regional papers. During his time at The San Diego Union-Tribune, Wheaton covered many issues facing the region including the persistent homelessness crisis, the high cost of living and how a cross-border community handled new immigration rules created by the Trump Administration.
Job Title: Data Journalist
Topic Expertise: Wheaton is a data journalist with 8 years of experience of collaborating with reporters and editors across all beats and desks. Adept at analyzing demographic, economic and health data. Skilled at applying modern GIS tools to consider the role of space in a dataset. Able to persuade reluctant researchers, public information officers and agencies that sharing data can enlighten the public. Able to communicate the value of data to audio and visual centric reporters and producers.
Location: Lincoln, Nebraska
Education: As an undergraduate at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (2015), Wheaton interned at The Omaha World-Herald (2015), Newsday (2015), The Scripps Howard Foundation Wire (2014) and KFOR1240 (2013). He also held multiple positions at The Daily Nebraskan (2011-15).
Memberships: Investigative Reporters and Editors
Honors & Awards: Investigative Reporters and Editors, RTDNA Murrow Awards, The Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association, SABEW, San Diego Press Club, California Newspaper Association, American Forensics Association
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As President Biden visited the Midwest to tout the recently passed infrastructure measure, the Midwest Newsroom breaks down a regional “wish list,” and explains how some of the money will be spent. -
Research from Wichita State University's Center for Real Estate says the housing market will continue to favor sellers, but increases in construction are a sign more supply is on the way. -
Health and meteorology experts say the growing presence of wildfire smoke in parts of Kansas and Nebraska could pose health risks to those who breathe it in. That concern is compounded, given the likelihood that vast and intense fires from California and surrounding areas will persist. -
Republicans will control the redistricting process in Kansas next year. Right now, they face an uphill battle to convince residents in the suburbs of Kansas City that they won’t gerrymander the maps to supercharge Republican power. -
From cocktail bars to comic book stories, small businesses turned to social media to keep in touch with customers — giving researchers a glimpse at what was going on in their communities. -
A new data dashboard from Facebook reveals the trends of how small businesses posted during the pandemic, a new measure of how they communicated since March 2020.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released county-level data on COVID-19 vaccinations. Explore the differences across the region. -
Millennials are now the nation’s largest generation, who are aging into home buying just as already slow rates of home building were further slowed by the pandemic.
