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Miguel Roca

@miguelrocadata.bsky.social
99 followers 206 following 20 posts

Data journalist at BBC. Own views.

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Miguel Roca @miguelrocadata.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
🚨 Personal news update 🚨 Read all about it 👇🏽 open.substack.com/pub/miguelro...
open.substack.com
On second chances and hope
Around six weeks ago I wrote a lengthy personal reflection about how I had come to regret my decision to leave data journalism behind in the summer of 2025 for pastures new.
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Robert Cuffe @robertcuffe.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
More UK deaths than births expected every year from now on www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
More UK deaths than births expected every year from now on
The UK population is expected to grow at a slower rate than previously thought owing to a sharp fall in migration and declining fertility rates
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Miguel Roca @miguelrocadata.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
Worth a read. Being a data journalist taught me to treat data like any source: often interesting but potentially unreliable. Especially when you see surprising or anomalous trends like the one that drove the so-called 'quiet revival' report. Data ≠ Gospel truth Dig deeper. Time allowing.
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Miguel Roca @miguelrocadata.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Been doing a fair amount of soul searching and grappling with uncertainty in various aspects of life lately. Penned some thoughts to that effect: open.substack.com/pub/miguelro...
open.substack.com
On failure and grace
Grappling with uncertainty and losing your sense of vocation
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Darren Dahly @statsepi.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
Every day is a good day for sharing one of the most useful papers about research data ever written. PLEASE get your people to understand and follow this advice. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Data Organization in Spreadsheets
Karl W. Broman
& Kara H. Woo
Pages 2-10 | Received 01 Jun 2017, Accepted author version posted online: 29 Sep 2017, Published online: 24 Apr 2018

    1. Introduction
    2. Be Consistent
    3. Choose Good Names for Things
    4. Write Dates as YYYY-MM-DD
    5. No Empty Cells
    6. Put Just One Thing in a Cell
    7. Make it a Rectangle
    8. Create a Data Dictionary
    9. No Calculations in the Raw Data Files
    10. Do Not Use Font Color or Highlighting as Data
    11. Make Backups
    12. Use Data Validation to Avoid Errors
    13. Save the Data in Plain Text Files

ABSTRACT

Spreadsheets are widely used software tools for data entry, storage, analysis, and visualization. Focusing on the data entry and storage aspects, this article offers practical recommendations for organizing spreadsheet data to reduce errors and ease later analyses. The basic principles are: be consistent, write dates like YYYY-MM-DD, do not leave any cells empty, put just one thing in a cell, organize the data as a single rectangle (with subjects as rows and variables as columns, and with a single header row), create a data dictionary, do not include calculations in the raw data files, do not use font color or highlighting as data, choose good names for things, make backups, use data validation to avoid data entry errors, and save the data in plain text files.
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Paul Bradshaw @paulbradshaw.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
Freedom of Information requests are not only one of the best ways to get original and exclusive stories that set your reporting apart — they’re also a good way to develop core journalism habits like curiosity, scepticism, and creativity. Here’s how: onlinejournalismblog.com/2026/03/02/h...
onlinejournalismblog.com
How to use FOI to develop good journalism habits
Freedom of Information (FOI) requests are not only one of the best ways to get original and exclusive stories that set your reporting apart — they’re also a good way to develop core journalis…
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Social Enterprise UK @socialenterpriseuk.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
The State of #SocialEnterprise Report 2025 is launching today! Take a deep dive into the key trends and issues affecting the sector from who they employ to the economic challenges they face. Find out more and access the full report: buff.ly/UxSuATq. Help us spread the word! #SOSE25
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Data Orchard @dataorchard.org.uk · 12/11/2025
Join us tomorrow, noon Last chance to book to see our juiciest State of The Sector report yet! This year, for the 1st time, we'll share global x-sector comparisons of changing trends, challenges and hot topics. Get early sight of the findings and bring your curiosity for the Q&A! buff.ly/F7qKNrw
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Data Orchard @dataorchard.org.uk · 25/10/2025
During Black History Month we're celebrating some incredible Black Icons in Data. We've written about 7 icons who are both outstanding data professionals AND remarkable role models. We're spotlighting each between now and the end of the month. Today's spotlight is on Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE.
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Data Orchard @dataorchard.org.uk · 23/09/2025
Welcome Miguel! We're delighted to welcome Miguel Roca-Terry - our new Analytics Engineer - to the Data Orchard team. Miguel is a former data journalist for the BBC and ONS, and many more things besides. Read our Q&A to help get to know him a little better. buff.ly/gbCQzP6
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Data Orchard @dataorchard.org.uk · 06/09/2025
Tomorrow's International Day of Clean Air... And here's a big shout out to two wonderful charities - Trees for Cities and Cool Earth. A while back, our Hannah Khwaja wrote about why we chose to support them both as part of our environmental policy and carbon reduction plan. buff.ly/fip1GoG
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Miguel Roca @miguelrocadata.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
Curious about why I left the BBC and data journalism behind? Wrote some thoughts on my 1st Substack post which you can read for free: open.substack.com/pub/miguelro... Bear in mind I am not sure if I'll use Substack regularly before you consider subscribing. This post = experiment. Enjoy!
open.substack.com
Shedding data journalism for new skin
Change can be uncomfortable.
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Miguel Roca @miguelrocadata.bsky.social · 12/08/2025
Excited to share that I'm moving into the non-profit space and joining @dataorchard.org.uk as an analytics engineer! Feeling grateful for the people and places I've gotten to know, across dozens of data journalism projects and stories. Time for a new adventure - Can't wait to get started!
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Miguel Roca @miguelrocadata.bsky.social · 07/08/2025
Come and do my old job! Data journalist with the BBC Local data unit (Birmingham-based). Great opportunity to work with a brilliant team! careers.bbc.co.uk/job/Data-Jou...
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Miguel Roca @miguelrocadata.bsky.social · 28/07/2025
🗞️ personal news update 🗞️ Landed an exciting new role in the non-profit space! Which means I'm leaving the BBC – and data journalism – behind. More information to follow... Soon ... ⏳
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Miguel Roca @miguelrocadata.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
ICYMI: Had the pleasure & privilege of working with brilliant BBC colleagues on a story about the latest UK speeding stats. Check it out 👇🏽 www.bbc.com/news/article... @robertcuffe.bsky.social, Alex Emery, Kris Bramwell, David Verry, @rob-england-journo.bsky.social
bbc.com
Drivers prone to speeding on 20mph roads, figures suggest
New figures show that three-quarters of drivers break 20mph limits on roads without cameras, obstructions or calming measures.
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Erwan Rivault @erwanrivault.com · 27/04/2025
We're only in April, but it's already the worst UK wildfire season on record Over 29,200 hectares burnt so far, fuelled by an unusually dry spring, as satellite data shows
bbc.co.uk
Wildfires: UK burnt area for 2025 already beats annual record
The prolonged dry, sunny weather in March and April created ideal conditions for wildfires to spread.
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Ahmad Barclay @bothness.bsky.social · 21/01/2025
🚨📝📊 #DataJournalism job alert! We're looking for a Senior Data Journalist to join our fabulous digital content team at the #ONS. Permanent, full-time £41,364 - £46,654 annual salary... www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/jobs.cgi...
civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk
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Jonathan Fagg @jpfagg.bsky.social · 20/12/2024
Ever wondered how your station compares for train cancellations? We're ending the year by giving you the answers, comparing performance from Jan - Nov in 2024. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Great Britain's worst major stations for cancellations named
The latest figures show almost one in 10 trains were cancelled at Manchester Victoria.
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Miguel Roca @miguelrocadata.bsky.social · 20/12/2024
Story by Tim Dodd, Alix Hattenstone, @jpfagg.bsky.social and me! 🗺️ Also, a sneak-preview of our interactive map 👇🏽 Enjoy!
A choropleth map showing Britain divided up into regions and nations. The headline reads "North-west of England hit by Britain’s worst train cancellation rates". 

On the map, the North West is clearly a darker shade of purple than any other area, with an overall cancellation rate of 6.9%. 

Scotland, by contrast, is the lightest shade on the map, representing an overall cancellation rate of 2.9%.
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Miguel Roca @miguelrocadata.bsky.social · 20/12/2024
🚨New data-driven story🚨 ✍🏽 By BBC England Data & Formats Unit 🚂 NW of England saw worst train cancellation rates in Britain start of 2024. Which busiest stations in your nation/region fared the worst? 📊 Use our interactive charts to find out! Read all about it👇🏽 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Great Britain's worst major stations for cancellations named
The latest figures show almost one in 10 trains were cancelled at Manchester Victoria.
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Miguel Roca @miguelrocadata.bsky.social · 22/11/2024
Nope, our piece used Census data. This is very different. Hope all is well in ONS!
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Jonathan Fagg @jpfagg.bsky.social · 08/10/2024
Great piece by Sabbiyah Pervez looking at why absence rates are so high for Irish Traveller children: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... Thanks to @miguelrocadata.bsky.social for leading on the stats.
bbc.co.uk
'I'm an Irish Traveller and I'm too anxious to go to school'
Traveller families say their children are often bullied when they attend mainstream schools.
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Jonathan Fagg @jpfagg.bsky.social · 07/10/2024
Last week, we dug into the sharp rise in young people facing homelessness when they leave the care system - up 54% since 2018-19. Zoe, one such care leaver, told us her experience left her with “this fear of owning too much in case I need to move”. t.co/5UfML5kkl8
t.co
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj4dyy9kgrro
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Miguel Roca @miguelrocadata.bsky.social · 05/10/2024
ICYMI: 📰Harrowing story I worked on with BBC colleagues ⬇️ Young care leavers aged 18-20 in England increasingly facing homelessness since 2019: 🔢 4,300 affected by April 2024 📊 Represents a 54% increase since 2019 Read Zoe's story here 👇🏽 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Huge rise in number of young care leavers facing homelessness
The number of young care leavers facing homelessness is a
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Jonathan Fagg @jpfagg.bsky.social · 03/09/2024
Our latest collaboration with the shared data unit has found the most-deprived communities in the UK were four times more likely to have lost library facilities since 2016: t.co/TfX3B0Edxo
t.co
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn9lexplel5o
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Ahmad Barclay @bothness.bsky.social · 26/08/2024
Only one week left to apply for this #dataviz role with the ONS. Applications close midnight on Tuesday 3 September!
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Miguel Roca @miguelrocadata.bsky.social · 20/08/2024
Not sure! There are datasets around but not aware of a definitive one yet. A bright spark I know suggested using something like Strava heat map data to get something more up to date.. Project? ☺️
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Jonathan Fagg @jpfagg.bsky.social · 20/08/2024
I realise I should post here more, so fortunately we have a story out today - countryside campaigners fear thousands of miles of footpaths could be lost: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Public rights of way applications backlog concerns campaigners
Nearly 8,000 requests to get public paths added to an official map have not been processed.
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Miguel Roca @miguelrocadata.bsky.social · 20/08/2024
🚨New story🚨 👣 The race to save thousands of footpaths across England and Wales 🗺️Council backlogs mean most requests to modify official maps are yet to be actioned Check it out 👇🏽 BBC News - Public rights of way applications backlog concerns campaigners - BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Public rights of way applications backlog concerns campaigners
Nearly 8,000 requests to get public paths added to an official map have not been processed.
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Miguel Roca @miguelrocadata.bsky.social · 21/04/2024
Latest piece I worked on at the BBC has some fascinating stories and insights about how LGBT+ people are drawn towards minority religions. I contributed a couple of charts 📊 and crunched some numbers to help with context from a data perspective 🤓 Enjoy! 👇🏽 www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-engl...
bbc.co.uk
LGBT+ people drawn to minority religions - census
From freedom to fulfilment, LGBT+ people tell the BBC why they were drawn to their religions.
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Ahmad Barclay @bothness.bsky.social · 29/03/2024
We've had a fantastic response so far to the new #ExploreLocalStatistics platform. It's still a work in progress, so please do share your comments and requests for new features! consultations.ons.gov.uk/digital-publ...
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Miguel Roca @miguelrocadata.bsky.social · 29/03/2024
Loved working on this visual story about 2 Tone Music with colleagues from our brilliant BBC West Midlands team👇 The story anticipates a new BBC Radio WM documentary out Saturday at 2pm – Available on BBC Sounds! 🎧 45 years since 1st 2 Tone record!🤓 Enjoy! canvas-story.bbcrewind.co.uk/2tone/
canvas-story.bbcrewind.co.uk
2 Tone Music
Black and white - exploding in colour
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Miguel Roca @miguelrocadata.bsky.social · 27/02/2024
Thanks!
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Miguel Roca @miguelrocadata.bsky.social · 27/02/2024
Thank you! :)
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Miguel Roca @miguelrocadata.bsky.social · 27/02/2024
Great to connect Helena! 😁
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Miguel Roca @miguelrocadata.bsky.social · 27/02/2024
Starting my brand new job as a visual data journalist focusing on local news in a few days' time. Thought I'd check out yet another social platform 🦋 I'm particularly interested in 👇 📰 Data journalism 📊 Dataviz + Interactives 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Local England 💻 Coding + Data analysis So howdy 👋 Who to follow?
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