Feb. 13, 2009

Membership help for troubled times

In these difficult times, IRE is making a special offer to our members: If your membership renewal has come due and you are out of work, we will provide you with a complimentary one-year renewal so that you can continue to use IRE's resources and services. This offer is retroactive for all of those who were not able to renew their membership in the past year for that reason.

All you need to do is contact IRE membership coordinator John Green at jgreen@ire.org or 573-882-2772.

Additionally, several members have encouraged IRE to offer a way that they can help out-of-work colleagues maintain their memberships in these tough times. For anyone who would like to do so, you can fund a year's membership for an out-of-work journalist, a $60 contribution. Please contact John Green if you are interested.

--Mark Horvit, IRE Executive Director

CAR 2009: Time to make your reservations

Gain the skills you need to become an essential part of any newsroom at the 2009 Computer-Assisted Reporting Conference in Indianapolis on March 19-22. Early-bird registration ends March 6; the deadline for hotel reservations at discounted rates is Feb. 24.

This year’s conference will offer several panels focused on covering the financial crisis, including how to dig into the TARP funds and to analyze the recession’s impact locally. Sessions will help everyone from beginners to experts sharpen skills in data analysis, Web programming and reporting on dozens of topics. Other highlights include:

• Mapping, from creative uses of Google maps to more sophisticated analysis - all interactive for your Web audience.
• Creating interactive Web sites that profile a community down to the neighborhood level, from experts like the creators of Everyblock.
• Scraping data from government Web sites and making it your own.
• Analyzing data to probe more deeply on crucial issues such as crime, housing and schools.
• Exploring the latest frontiers of CAR, from text mining to advanced programming.
• Searching for information and data on the Web, using the latest tips and sites.
• And there will be plenty for those just getting started with CAR, including hands-on classes to bring you up to speed on using spreadsheets and database managers.

You can view the preliminary schedule, including hands-on sessions, online, as well as a list of expected speakers. Please check back frequently as this is updated on a regular basis.

There's still time to sign up for the popular CAR Mini-Boot Camp, a special track of hands-on training in database and spreadsheet analysis and how to apply these tools in your reporting. It's modeled after IRE and NICAR's 5-day CAR Boot Camp curriculum. There is no additional charge to attend, but you must sign up in advance.

The advanced Web Programming Boot Camp is nearly full. Sign up now if you're interested in attending. This intense hands-on introduction to building database-driven Web applications is open to 18 participants. (If you want to learn how to code but can't make it to Indy, IRE is offering a Web Programming Boot Camp in Columbia, Mo., May 17-22.)

Last year, conference attendees were scrambling to find a hotel room after the room block had filled. To get the discounted rate of $139 plus tax, please make your hotel reservation by Tuesday, Feb. 24. To make a reservation online, visit the hotel Web site and enter your arrival and departure dates. To make your reservation by phone, please call 1-888-627-8186 and ask to make a reservation in the “2009 CAR Conference” room block. If you are interested in finding a roommate to share hotel expenses, please check our roommate forum.

IRE would like to thank the following organizations for their support of the 2009 CAR Conference:

• Hosts: The Gannett Foundation and The Indianapolis Star
• Primary sponsor: The Lumina Foundation for Education
• Sponsors: Ice Miller LLP and The Journal Gazette

Watchdog Workshop on U.S.-Mexico Border, Feb. 20-21

A unique version of our popular Better Watchdog Workshop series, hosted by the University of Texas at El Paso, will offer sessions in both English and Spanish.

The sessions are designed for reporters, editors and producers from small, midsize and large publications; TV stations; Web-only news sites; and news blogs. Early registration ends today (Friday, Feb. 13) but participants can also register on site by downloading a registration form and bringing it to the event. See details and registration information. Para información en Español, haga clic aquí.

Presenters include: Manny Garcia, The Miami Herald; Gerardo Reyes, El Nuevo Herald and author of "Periodismo de Investigación;" Alejandra Xanic, Cambio; Molly Molloy, New Mexico State University and author of "LaGuia" border guide; Rocio Gallegos, El Diario de Juarez and Zita Arocha and Lourdes Cardenas of UTEP; Alfredo Corchado, Nieman Fellow (on leave from the Dallas Morning News); Lise Olsen, Houston Chronicle and Jaimi Dowdell, IRE Training Director.