Deena Zaidi


Data Journalist

Hi!

A data journalist with over 10 years of writing and reporting experience. I’ve had the pleasure of working for a local news paper in Seattle for about 2.5 years, after which I worked as a data visual journalist around two years in a leading broadcast news room in Canada.

I’ve written a wide range of stories— from hidden COVID-19 fatalities and rising Omicron numbers to immigration backlogs to soaring inflation and real estate markets. I am comfortable with mapping tools and have created multimedia interactives through ESRI’s GIS interface. These stories included “50 Years Later: Expulsion from Uganda” and “Canadian Urban Skies Turn Lethal for Migratory Birds“.

Prior to CTVNews, I wrote data-driven stories for, Seattle’s Puget Sound Business Journal (PSBJ)—one of the 44 markets of American City Business Journals. I also maintained the database for the local market which were published as weekly lists. The role involved fact-checking and in-depth research through surveys and phone calls. These lists ranked regional businesses on different metrics and were eventually compiled into the Annual Book of Lists.

Early in my career, I wrote extensively for various digital publications such as TheStreet.com, VentureBeat, Seeking Alpha, BuzzFeed, and Truthout with bylines in Reuters, Yahoo Finance, and MSN Money. I’ve authored a working paper on “The role of credit rating agencies in the Eurozone debt crisis” for Global Credit Review at the University of Singapore.

As a data journalist, I am always keen to look at the investigative side of stories where data is fundamental. My strength lies in data-driven stories that look beyond the numbers published in public records. I have solid experience in data analytics, with experience in mapping and creating interactive visuals.

I have an MSc. in International Banking and Finance from the University of Durham, England, and an MBA in Finance from ICFAI Business School, India. I hold a certificate in Data Analytics from Northeastern University and have been a part of a data bootcamp hosted by Investigative Reporters and Editors Inc. (IRE) in Seattle.

Feel free to browse through my portfolio.

stories written

years of experience

words written

Category: United States of America

  • The Curious Case of Campaign Finance – 2016

    The Curious Case of Campaign Finance – 2016

    The infamous 2010 Citizens United ruling introduced big money to politics. Through unlimited sums of money during the election campaigns, wealthy donors can sway the votes. But the problem may not be around the unlimited sums of money but the ‘non-disclosure’ part of it. In a 2015 poll, 87% of the respondents wanted to reduce the…

  • Why is TPP a Big Deal?

    Why is TPP a Big Deal?

    The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) has been an ongoing trade deal that was finally agreed upon by all the 12 countries. The secret deal connects 12 countries of US, Brunei, Chile, Australia, Singapore, Japan, Mexico, Vietnam, New Zealand, Canada, Malaysia, and Peru. The regional trade deal is already receiving mixed reviews that are focused on the environmental, labor, trade and intellectual property…

  • The 4 Uncertain Economies to look out for in 2015

    The 4 Uncertain Economies to look out for in 2015

    For long, geopolitics seemed to have started playing an important role in deciding the destiny of global financial markets. 2015 has seen contrasting developments, where nearly every market affected the other, irrespective of how much contribution one made to the other’s GDP. The reason could be that globally financial markets remain highly interconnected and if…

  • The Impact of The Rising Dollar

    The Impact of The Rising Dollar

    The US dollar has been on the rise every day setting high records. With the upward pressure on dollar, stronger dollar could tighten financial conditions across the growth. Further the rising dollar could be offsetting the benefit of low cost oil. Over the past six months, the trade-weighted dollar has risen 25% and faster than…