Don’t know what to attend at NICAR26? The IRE staff is here to help!

So you’ve landed in Indianapolis. You’re at the JW Marriott. You’re checking the schedule and….. whoa. It’s pretty overwhelming, right? With more than 200 hours of programming spanning nearly a week, it’s hard to plan what to see, who to talk to and when to go where.

But the IRE staff is here to help with recommendations from the NICAR26 schedule for some (but not all!!) of the great sessions you’ll have the chance to attend in just a few short weeks.

From Benét Wilson, Training Director: 

Sometimes, simple is best. My pick for a must-attend session is “Using data to find sources.” As a 41-year veteran of journalism, sourcing has always been integral to my work. But I’ve seen many younger journalists struggle with finding sources and this panel will help.

I’m a long-time mentor and career advisor with experience as a manager. I’ve seen just about everything in my career. I’m recommending “Wanna get hired? Tales from the trenches,” because too many journalists don’t understand how hiring really works. No one can guarantee you’ll get a job, but your prospects will be much better by attending this workshop that helps crack the hiring code.

From Laura Kurtzberg, Training Director:

Hands-on sessions are my favorite part of NICAR and this year, there are great ones to help you learn about geospatial data analysis and mapping. I’m looking forward to “From satellites to stories: Leveraging Google Earth Engine to analyze global environmental datasets for local reporting” and “First PMTiles Map: How to map massive datasets“. 

For a bit of much-needed fun with your fellow data nerds, I recommend “Fun with hypotheticals: Investigating your dubious data dilemmas in real time“. This interactive session is currently collecting ideas for data questions to solve. After “Rats in the Rainforest Café” last year, the speakers are back and are asking attendees to send in wild and wacky data questions to solve. 

From Laura Moscoso, Training Director:

For me, one of the most wonderful aspects of working as a reporter is being able to communicate complex issues in a way that everyone can understand and make decisions about their lives. Using data to tell audio stories is the best example of this. I encourage you to check out “Data in the world of audio“ and continue exploring the amazing work many colleagues are doing around the world. 

The so-called ‘artificial intelligence’ (I’m still looking for a better term) is part of all our lives. So we must understand its complexities, terminology, and potential future developments to evaluate the proper use of the tools and know how to report on the different issues related to these computational systems. Let’s demystify it together at the “AI concepts you should know” session! 

There are several coding/programming language sessions during NICAR26. My recommendation is to pick one (either by interest or demand) and build a track to attend as many classes as you can during the conference. 

And any session that covers ethics and methods is essential. What else truly matters in journalism?

From Chris Vachon, Conference Manager

Because the NCAA national headquarters are located across the street from the conference hotel, it’s the perfect time for “Following the money in college sports’ new era.”

As a grandmother of three, babies are the most precious and vulnerable parts of our society, so I’ve gotta recommend “Reporting on maternal and infant health in turbulent times.” 

From Cody Winchester, Director of Technology and Online Resources

If this is your first NICAR, definitely check out the first-timers welcome and networking session. You’ll get oriented to the ins and outs of the conference, meet IRE staff and board members, and meet other first-timers to buddy up with throughout the conference.

If you’re stuck on a data or coding project, the “code buddies” session is where you can get help working through problems or find a sounding board.

From Francisco Vara-Orta, Directory of Diversity and Inclusion:

Given the state of the country and general interest in migration patterns, “Accessing records to report on immigration enforcement actions“ is a topic we’ll be needing to keep an eye on in journalism for a while, so now’s a great time to start learning! 

Queer people aren’t going away, but the government and special interest groups may hope so. We know if we can’t measure the need, then we can deny the problem so “Reporting on disappearing data about LGBTQ+ people” is a great session to learn how groups are fighting hard to maintain and safeguard data for a community that only continues to grow in profile as society changes.

From Adam Rhodes, Managing Editor and Training Director:

Just as we put time and effort into reaching underserved Black, brown, and queer communities, among others, we need to put that same effort into reaching our audiences no matter their ability. If our job as journalists is to educate and inform our audiences, we need to make sure we are reaching *everyone.* Accessibility basics is a must-attend session in my opinion!

Lightning Talks is probably my favorite NICAR tradition. You’ll see some really amazing, really nerdy, really short presentations on topics ranging from the differences between casseroles and hotdishes to how data viz can be misleading. The Philip Meyer Journalism Award will be handed out before, but hang out after for Lightning Talks! 

From Lauren Grandestaff, Deputy Executive Director

One of the best parts about NICAR is that we have a big student contingent every year. In a place like Indianapolis, where students are facing backlash (and worse) from their colleges and universities just for doing their job, the panel, “How we did it: Student-led investigations,” is more important than ever before.

Ready or not, the midterms are upon us. Don’t wait until you’re mid-meltdown to come up with a plan. “How to avoid a midterm meltdown: Tips for covering elections with unresponsive governments” will inspire and help you prepare for the wild ride ahead.

From Diana Fuentes, Executive Director

Check out a networking session or two! NICAR26 will be filled with like-minded colleagues but there will be networking time set aside for smaller groups that have special interests in common.

Math all reporters should know — It’s true that many reporters got in the business because they prefer words over numbers and data journalists often let the programs do all the calculating. But there are some things you should just know how to do yourself. Bring a fresh pencil (JK!) and have fun in this session!

Anything Charles Minshew is teaching! He makes understanding how to work with AI easy and fun.