The Newcomers Cohort (Arkansas)
Misty Orpin launched her Arkansas Covid tracking site in March 2020 to make the Arkansas Department of Health’s Covid-19 data more accessible and transparent to its people.
A novice to the complexities of epidemiology, Orpin focused on visualization, geographic specificity, and active Q&A with Arkansans on Twitter and via email.
The organization evolved into a watchdog role, attending press conferences and striving for clarity from the Arkansas Department of Health and the Governor.
Orpin partnered with the University of Arkansas to bring on an intern to assist with demographic information, and eventually turned the project over to the University of Arkansas’ Department of Journalism after six months of 12-hour days bringing the latest data and updates to Arkansas.
The project is now student-run and continues to provide daily updates and in-depth news stories on the impacts of Covid in Arkansas.
A few words from those who nominated Misty:
“Misty Oprin began the @ArkansasCovid project and was invaluable to me the first several months to make sense if Arkansas covid data!”
Click here to follow Arkansas Covid on Twitter.
Click here to see the Arkansas COVID website, now managed by the School of Journalism and Strategic Media at the University of Arkansas.
COVID-19 Data Hero Awards 