K Petrin

Consulting

petrinkae — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 20:06:06 +0530

Are you looking for rigorous, well-documented data analysis that leaves nothing up to chance? Do you need human creativity to solve complex problems in data categorization or visual storytelling? Are you trying to design an internal workplace systems or find new ways to engage your community? Do you just need basic advice on some gender-related policies?

If yes, consider collaborating with me.

I’m always looking for challenging, interesting consulting work that makes a difference.

Here’s a bit more about what I’ve done in my capacity as a nonprofit executive director, data journalist, health care economics analyst, and independent creative:

written and taught in-person and online workshops
advised on media analysis codebooks
planned newsroom trainings and events
written coverage guidance
reviewed trans-inclusive workplace policy proposals
developed employee and source audit data collection procedures
written grants for LGBTQ+ nonprofit causes

I also have a suite of flexible web development and data analysis skills. These include:

visual storytelling
infographics
business analytics
budget review
fact-checks
health care analytics
data report quality assurance

Workshops

petrinkae — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 20:06:06 +0530

I custom-design short presentations and hands-on workshops for organizations ranging from journalism membership organizations to international newsrooms to LGBTQ+ community organizations. I also work one-on-one with anyone looking to build critical data and information vetting skills.

Past workshops have included:

Introductions to solutions journalism
Data journalism storytelling
Intermediate to advanced Excel
Intro to SQL for storytelling
Critical data exploration with spreadsheets
Data cleaning
Building national stories from local datasets
Working with bad and limited data
In-depth investigations of property developers and landlords
Covering transgender communities on your beat
Transgender 101 for workplaces

I’ve contributed to open source textbooks like First Python Notebook and have a forthcoming massive open online course with Open Visualization Academy.

I’m an experienced moderator, and I love speaking with students.

petrinkae — Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

About

I’m a data journalist, business and nonprofit leader, and educator focused on media and government accountability. I speak internationally on data and investigative reporting, LGBT communities and transgender rights coverage, and media analysis. You can find my writing in Columbia Journalism Review, the International Journalists’ Network, the Global Investigative Journalism Network, and more.

Right now, I’m a John S. Knight Journalism Fellow in residence at Stanford University for the 2025-26 school year.

Normally, I’m a data & graphics reporter for Civic News Company, where I collaborate with local reporters at Chalkbeat, Votebeat, and Healthbeat to tell data-driven stories about education, voting rights, and public health. My team writes about our work on our data viz blog. Check out my recent Chalkbeat bylines and my broader portfolio.

In 2020, I cofounded the Trans Journalists Association with several dozen other journalists; I have since run many of its internal operations and directed the organization’s development to an incorporated grassroots nonprofit. I have served in various staff and board roles there. With my leadership, the organization fundraised more than $1 million in two years.

Previously, as a digital reporter at St. Louis Public Radio, I created graphics, built newsroom-wide tools, and covered data-driven stories across beats. Before that, I was an editorial assistant at St. Louis Magazine. I also served on the St. Louis Pro chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists’s board of directors as secretary and a finance committee member from 2017 to 2023.

While working in Missouri and Illinois, I also produced freelance investigations, breaking news, web redesigns, and entertainment criticism, and spent a year in healthcare as a data analyst. Throughout my career in local news I have contributed data analyses and visualizations to reporting that has been recognized by the Education Writers Association, LION Local Journalism Awards, multiple chapters of the Society for Professional Journalists, the Missouri Broadcaster Association, and regional Edward R. Murrow Awards.

petrinkae — Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Right now, I am a full-time data journalist. However, I take consulting work on a case-by-case basis. I’m especially interested in opportunities to speak, teach, and lead interactive community-oriented workshops.

Learn more about my services.

Contact me via email.

petrinkae — Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Speaking

I’m a frequent moderator, panelist, public speaker, and interactive workshop leader.

I develop workshops for both youth and adult learners. Most often, I present on data, speaking on specific tools like spreadsheets or thinking through complex problems like working with incomplete data. I’ve also led public media trainings on telling your own story.

Past partners have included the Open Visualization Academy, Education Writers Association, and the Reynolds Journalism Institute, as well as multiple investigative journalism associations. I’m also a contributor and recurring teacher for First Python Notebook.

2025 Highlights

Keynote: Reporting on LGBTQ+ data under autocracy — U of Miami | Computation + Journalism
Documentary: Heightened Scrutiny
Investigating LGBTQ+ rights internationally — GIJN | Global Investigative Journalism Conference
Changing trans news narratives — The Objective | Trans Media Convening
Fighting censorship of gov’t data, moving beyond reliance on federal collections — OpenNews | SRCCON
Pride is local: How to report on LGBTQ+ stories for home audiences — NPCJI | Webinar
How do we know when data is “right”? — EWA | National Convention
Covering attacks on trans rights — EWA | National Convention
How to cover trans communities well — New England Scholastic Press Association Boston | Conference
How to find education data — EWA | Diving Into Data
Virtual town halls with students at The New School and in LOOKOUT’s Reporting as Resistance class

2024 Highlights

Writing articles with heavy database use — ASJA | 2024 Virtual Conference
Covering LGBTQ+ students in schools — NLGJA | National Convention (for EWA)
Reporting on queer policies, legislation and politics — IRE | Election Webinar Series
The Do’s and Don’ts of Covering Trans Issues — EWA | National Convention
How to cover trans communities sensitively and accurately — SPJ Indiana, SPJ Region 10
The power of knowing your (data’s) weaknesses — IRE | NICAR
Trans data: How we can do better — IRE | NICAR
How to cover trans issues well in an election year — Reynolds Journalism Institute | multiple venues
Class visits to Columbia University and CUNY

2023 Highlights

How to use bad and limited LGBTQ+ data responsibly — OpenNews | SRCCON
Shop Talk: Visual Storytelling — Education Writers Association | National Seminar
Trans and GNC data sources —IRE | AccessFest
Envisioning high-impact coverage of anti-trans legislation — IRE | AccessFest
Framing and Facts: Getting Trans Coverage Right — NLGJA | National Convention
How to Cover Trans Issues Well — Society of Professional Journalists | Region 10 Conference