2012 Miami Election Watchdog Workshop
Host: Florida International University, School of Journalism and Mass Communication
*****This event has been cancelled. Please contact the IRE office with any questions, (573) 882-2042. *****
IRE is bringing it's highly rated Election Watchdog Workshop to Miami.
Arm yourself with the knowledge you need to cover the campaign. Get in-depth tips and strategies for following the campaign cash and helping your audience track the behind-the-scenes battle for influence, backgrounding candidates, making sense of the new world of super-PACs and "independent" nonprofit advocacy groups, and much more.
These sessions are designed for reporters, editors and producers from small, midsize and large publications, TV and radio stations and Web-only news sites and news blogs. Join a group of campagin coverage veterans for our Election Watchdog Workshop on August 18 with an extra half-day of hands-on computer-assisted reporting training focused on campaign finance on August 19 for those who are interested.
Expected speakers include: Sergio Bustos, The Miami Herald; Russ Choma, Center for Responsive Politics; David Donald, Center for Public Integrity; Patricia Mazzei, The Miami Herald and Derek Willis, The New York Times. More speakers will be added as they are confirmed.
Time and place
Saturday, Aug. 18, 2012 - Sunday, Aug. 19, 2012
Florida International University
None
North Miami, Florida None
Schedule details
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Follow the money - How campaign money is spent in your state
There are several ways that political funds can play a role in Florida or other key states, especially during an election year. You'll see how to trace money that comes from outside sources to state-based political groups, and how to follow the path of expenditures from the ground game to the air wars.
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Backgrounding candidates
Learn the skills to thoroughly background politicians. Beyond the basics, this session will help you understand how to dig deeper with property records and more.
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Campaign finance: Tools you can use
Plenty of tools are readily available to help you obtain and make sense of campaign finance data. This session will help you understand how to put those tools to use.
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How issues are shaping the race
A key component of understanding how campaigns are won or lost is understanding the role of special interests. This year few key topicss are playing a crucial role in who gets support and who gets opposition.
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Hands-on
2012 Miami Election Watchdog Workshop CAR Training
Optional Computer-Assisted Reporting Training
Attend this hands-on workshop and learn how to use Excel, a powerful electronic spreadsheet for deadline and beat reporting on budgets, salaries, and election data.
Also, learn how to dig deeper using the Internet and find valuable datasets for your stories.
Class size is limited; register early to reserve a seat on a first-come, first-served basis.