By Chelsea Sheasley
@csheasley

What’s the best thing a reporter can tell their editor about new data tools? They’re F-R-E-E.

Anthony DeBarros, senior database editor at USA Today and Matt Stiles of NPR’s news applications team shared their top picks for the latest free tools at IRE 2012’s "Free tools panel."

“Free can be very, very good,” DeBarros said. “Sometimes it can be not so good because sometimes you get what you paid for.” Both speakers said the programs can be buggy, but many are also extremely powerful and offer essential data analysis tools.

DeBarros and ...

Read more ...

Gannett sent more than 60 journalists from the companies' various media outlets to attend this year's conference. Those journalists are sharing their insights on Gannett @ IRE, which includes interviews with speakers and general insights from the conference. 

Here are some posts from Thursday:

World of Data session

I was amazed by how quickly Tisha Thompson said she types paper records into data files. I was even more amazed that she doesn’t really have anyone proofread her data entry. She said her way of checking her numbers from her data entry is by going back to public officials and ...

Read more ...

By Chelsea Sheasley
@csheasley

You want to submit a public records request. Where do you start? How do you ask? What if you’re denied?

Mike Donoghue, forty-year veteran of The Burlington Free Press, and Ellen Gabler of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel shared their tips and experiences during “The Ask: Requesting and Negotiating for Data.”

Donoghue’s top tip was for reporters to become very familiar with their state’s open government laws, suggesting reading the laws word-for-word at least once a year. He shared how he was able to get Vermont to release state and municipal pensions that they ...

Read more ...

Four student journalists will be selected as winners in IRE's new student computer-assisted reporting contest. The winners will receive free registration to IRE's Computer-Assisted Reporting Conference on Feb. 24-27 in Raleigh, N.C.; three nights of lodging at the conference hotel; and a slot on a panel. The entry deadline is Jan. 28. The contest is sponsored by three John S. and James L. Knight chairs in journalism: Sarah Cohen, Duke University; Steve Doig, Arizona State University; and Brant Houston, University of Illinois. Entries can include: • Investigative stories published in any medium. • News applications. • Tools to help investigative ... Read more ...

We've received lots of questions about whether the optional Computer-Assisted Reporting day at the Baltimore conference June 11-14 is suitable for people new to CAR. The answer is "Yes." The day will serve as a good introduction to the tools and tricks of analyzing electronic information. In addition, hands-on classes Friday through Saturday will give you actual experience using spreadsheets and databases. Here are some Thursday panels I think would be suitable for those new to CAR as well as seasoned veterans:

Thursday (6/11/09)	Panel(s)
9:00 - 10:00 a.m.	CAR's greatest hits: 2008-2009 ...

Read more ...