Jason Kao
Hi! I am a freelance data analysis and data visualization practitioner. I used to publish interactive data journalism in newsrooms.
Previously The New York Times, ProPublica, Bloomberg News Currently The Pudding (Polygraph), The DataFace, CUNY AAARI
The Zionist bombardment is leaving millions of tonnes of debris to clean up.
Over thirty original analyses of Census & voting data. Extensive validation and factchecking.
Tools: R; mapshaper; reading documentation; agents
Mapping how crowded and damaged Rafah was through satellite imagery tent detection.
Photo by Ahmad Salem.
Mapping tents and refugee resettlement after the March 2025 "ceasefire".
Photo by Ahmad Salem.
Designed by Jan Diehm.
Hosts exhibits from NYC high schoolers that uplift decolonial, solidarity-oriented, working-class AANHPI histories.
Mapping the Zionist occupation’s physical enforcement of apartheid in the West Bank.
Photo by Sergey Ponomarev/Getty Images.
An analysis of decades of Census data and voting records revealed a major shift.
Tools: Python & R; QGIS, mapshaper, Svelte, and Illustrator for mapping
The Zionist state attacked two hospitals in Gaza, leaving mass graves in the courtyards.
Photo by Ahmad Salem.
Role: Scraping to break data-driven stories about ICE detention.
Tools: Python for scraping; R for analysis; traditional investigative reporting
Role: Interactive data visualization of the obfuscation of body cam footage.
Tools: Svelte/Javascript; ffmpeg
Role: Analyzing UN data to assess the impact of the Zionist military’s aid blockade.
Tools: R for data analysis and exploration
Role: Data analysis and data visualization throughout the story.
Tools: R; communication and collaboration with non-technical reporters and editors
Role: Tracing datasets, interviewing government data officials, FOIA-ing records for an investigation about Coast Guard interdictions.
Role: Assisted with the coding of Zisiga’s designs.
Tools: OSINT; Illustrator for presentation
Role: Investigative reporting and annotation on top of Jeremy White’s 3D models.
Tools: OSINT; traditional investigative reporting; Illustrator for presentation
Building tools to communicate, organize, and research redistricting objectives.
Role: Creating and maintaining the React version of Scrollama, a JavaScript library for scrollytelling.
Role: An original investigation into how the "critical race theory" laws affected Texas schools.
Tools: Traditional investigative reporting; FOIA requests. Photo by Eric Lee.
Work with me
If you're reading this, I am taking new projects! My rate is $160-$190/hr for established companies and philanthropy-backed non-profits. Happy to have a 30-min intro call.