Depends on the programs, but likely statistics if it is a halfway decent program.

• Statistics is harder to learn on your own than the CS needed for data science. So it’s better to go statistics and then you can learn the CS parts on your own before doing a data science program.
• There’s generally a bigger need for statistical foundation than CS foundation in data science, or at least with the angle for any data science needed for data journalism.

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This is how i initially got started and i always like to recommend it. CS50x (introduction to computer science) is their college curriculum made available for free as opencourseware. Their lectures are very engaging imo, and you get problemsets to practice and check your answers. The problems are done in an online environment which i like so you don’t get bogged down in setting up your computer before you’ve even learned how to code. And then at the end you pick a project of your own and when you finish you get a free certificate (don’t bother paying for the “verified” one)

One other thing i think cs50 does pretty well is help teach you how to solve problems and how to read documentation. The reality is that learning how to code isn’t just learning a coding language. Knowing how to solve different types of problems and how to read documentation are core skills that let you get away from “tutorial hell” and start working on a project that excites you.