Investigative Reporters and Editors is in the midst of raising funds to complete a $50,000 Challenge Fund for Journalism V (CFJ) grant. To make a donation, or to learn more about the program, contact Jennifer Erickson at (573) 884-2222 or jennifer@ire.org, or visit IRE’s Web site.
The NICAR Database Library has updated two of key datasets in our collection — both of which are, quite frankly, a challenge to obtain.
The first is the FBI Uniform Crime Report data for 2007. Every year, law enforcement agencies all around the United States report their crime counts — usually for each month – to the FBI, by category. The library also continues to update its collection of federal contract data (aka Federal Procurement Data System) — federal spending is a hot topic right now — and recently started adding information from Fiscal Year 2009.
While there are some sources on the Internet that provide information augmented by both of these datasets — the FBI's Crime in the United States report and the frankly magnificant federalspending.org are two places that come to mind — NICAR is one place where you can get raw data in the most complete form we are able to provide. And for reporters who want to use data to add sweep and scope to their stories, that's a valuable asset.
As Database Library Director Jeremy Milarsky noted in his blog post: "More important is the familiarity and expertise our staff and students have when it comes to working with the information we provide. Any IRE member who buys data from us, or even calls us with general questions about computer-assisted reporting, is a priority here in the library. Ditto for any IRE member who calls us for help, period."
IRE training directors Jaimi Dowdell and Doug Haddix have joined the blogosphere with IRE On the Road. The blog includes updates and photos from recent watchdog workshops, as well as in-newsroom training. The site also includes short audio interviews with speakers offering advice on interviewing techniques, bulletproofing stories and other topics.
In addition, the blog features links to the IRE training calendar, the database library, tipsheets and other resources.
In coming months, look for more reports from the road, along with tips to improve your investigative skills as a journalist.
The full text of Uplink stories is available to subscribers only. IRE members can subscribe for $40; non-member and institutional subscriptions are available.
Visit http://data.nicar.org/uplink/ for more.
At the 2009 IRE Conference in Baltimore, IRE members will be voting on a proposed amendment to the organization's Articles of Incorporation to lift the restriction on the number of academic members who can serve on the board. Currently only one member of the 13-member board may fall into this category. If this amendment passes, there would be no limit. (There are currently no academic members of the board.)
The IRE Board of Directors recommends that the membership approve the proposal. "Journalism education is at the heart of IRE's mission," said Alison Young, board vice president and chair of the Member Services Committee, which initiated the proposal. "Members should be allowed to choose the best available candidates for the board and their votes should not be potentially negated by the restriction."
The proposal will be voted on June 13 at the annual membership meeting, prior to the election of six board members. If the proposal passes, it would take effect immediately and the academic restriction would be lifted for the board election later in the same meeting.
Read the full text of the proposed policy change here. If you have any questions about the potential impact of this amendment on 2009 candidates, please contact IRE Executive Director Mark Horvit at 573-882-1984.
A calendar and procedures for the 2009 board election are now online at www.ire.org/about/procedures.html. Candidates who wish to be included on the absentee ballot must file by May 1. IRE members who are not attending the IRE Conference can request absentee ballots from May 1 to May 20; completed ballots must be received by IRE no later than June 3.
Did you miss early-bird registration? No problem, on-site registrations will be accepted beginning on Thursday, March 19, at the Sheraton Indianapolis City Centre. Registration is only $200 for 3 1/2 days of training.
This year’s conference will offer several panels focused on covering the financial crisis, including how to dig into TARP funds and how to analyze the recession’s impact locally. Other highlights include:
If you’ve been telling yourself it’s time to take the next step and learn to code Web database tools, IRE’s newest boot camps will get you started with hands-on practice and advice from veteran CAR trainers.
Seats are available in Web Programming and Django for Djournalists, May 17-22, in Columbia, Mo. Learn how to build custom online data applications by attending one or both of the three-day sessions. It will expand on the curriculum used in the popular Advanced Web Frameworks Boot Camp.
Learn how to take important databases—from local crime stats to school test scores—and turn them into powerful, useful tools for your Web site audience. You know it’s the next step for your CAR skills. Now learn how to build your Web tool the way you want it in these hands-on sequential classes. This kind of training would cost much more anywhere else!
Dive into a Web platform with Django, a powerful tool for getting your data on the Web and broadening your site’s audience. Some familiarity with Web programming is recommended. (If you are attending Web Programming for Journalists prior to Django for Djournalists, less extensive experience is okay.) In this advanced programming course you will:
Participants should have solid SQL skills; some experience with a programming language like Python, PHP, Ruby or Perl is preferred. If you have questions about prerequisite skills or whether this boot camp is for you, please contact Database Library Director Jeremy Milarsky.
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
2009 CAR Conference
March 19-22, 2009 — Indianapolis
Computer-Assisted Reporting Boot Camp
March 22-27, 2009 — Columbia, Mo., at the Missouri School of Journalism
Ethnic Media Workshop
April 17-18, 2009 — New York City, New York
Watchdog Workshop
April 17-18, 2009 — Los Angeles, Calif.
Customized training for students
April 17-18, 2009 — Santa Barbara, Calif., University of California at Santa Barbara
Watchdog Workshop
April 25-26, 2009 — Detroit, Mich.
Watchdog Workshop
May 1-2, 2009 — Salt Lake City, Utah
Customized training for students
May 12, 2009 — Athens, Ohio
Web Programming Boot Camp
May 17-22, 2009 — Columbia, Mo., at the Missouri School of Journalism
2009 IRE Conference
June 11-14, 2009 — Baltimore, Md.
Investigative Reporter
WFTS-TV — Tampa, Fla.
Graduate assistant
Point Park University — Pittsburgh, Penn.
Executive director
The Center for Media and Democracy — Madison, Wis.