John Keefe

I lead The New York Times’s Weather Data team, which helps readers understand extreme weather events.

What I Cover

Our team covers hurricanes, floods, dangerous heat and other extreme weather conditions, making maps, charts and other graphics before and during an event. We take data feeds from sources such as the National Weather Service and use computer code and other tools to build data visualizations that are as accurate, as clear and as useful to those affected as possible. Though not weather, we also handle data for earthquakes.

My job includes managing projects, editing stories, collaborating with other Times journalists and writing computer code for some of our data-handling systems.

My Background

I became the weather data editor in 2022.

I got my start in data journalism while working in public radio — for almost 16 years, I worked at WNYC, New York’s largest public radio station, where I was the director of news and led a data journalism team. That team made data graphics for a variety of stories and investigations, and built online tools to help New Yorkers track and then recover from hurricanes Irene and Sandy.

I have also worked at CNN, building data graphics for breaking news and climate stories, and at Quartz, where I led teams exploring chatbots and machine learning for journalism. And during a previous stint at The Times, I made graphics about the 2020 election and was part of the data team that tracked the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.

I grew up in Minneapolis and, as a child, mapped storms from my basement during tornado warnings. I also once wrote to a local TV station asking if I might access their radar feed with a dial-up modem. Nobody replied.

Journalistic Ethics

As a Times journalist, I’m committed to upholding the standards of integrity outlined in our Ethical Journalism Handbook. I do not accept gifts, money or favors from anyone who might figure into my reporting or editing. When I am working, I identify myself as a journalist at The Times.

I hate errors. I want my work to be accurate and fair. Since I often use data from outside sources, I work hard to make sure those sources are trustworthy and that we catch errors and glitches in that information before it is used in The Times. When a mistake does happen, I help craft a correction to add to the story or graphic.

I work to be transparent with our readers about the sources of our information and data. With forecasts, I try to make sure our writing and visuals are clear about what experts and computer models predict will take place — and how confident they are in those predictions — while recognizing the possibility that things might not happen as expected.

• Email: [email protected]

• LinkedIn: John Keefe

• Anonymous tips: nytimes.com/tips