12/17/25: We're aware of a bug that is preventing some users from logging in. We'll post an update here when it's fixed.
CAR Conference Blog
10 free tools to help you clean, analyze and visualize data
Freelance journalist Samantha Sunne and Helena Bengtsson, data projects editor for The Guardian, spent an hour at the 2016 CAR Conference going over free, open-source tools that can replace expensive data cleaning, analysis and visualization programs. Here are some of my favorite tools the speakers mentioned: 1. Google Sheets Google Sheets is a widely known…
Read MoreTraining your newsroom to look for data and interactive ideas
By Raven Nichols Training a newsroom to look for data and interactive ideas isn’t always easy. At the 2016 CAR Conference, Dana Williams of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and Rachel Schallom of Fusion explained how to introduce these concepts to your newsroom. The first step is to hold a training session. Here are a few suggestions:…
Read MoreTools to help analyze, verify and debunk visuals
By Kouichi Shirayanagi There are a lot of photos circulating on social media. Some photos, such as the famous sharks in a flooded mall or sharks jumping at a rescue helicopter, you know are fake. But how do you verify that photos used in the press are the real deal? Nikon award a prize in…
Read MoreHow to turn data into compelling audio and video
By Maggie Angst For journalists working with audio or video, it can sometimes be challenging to find the best way to display data in story. Joe Wertz, an environment and energy reporter for StateImpact Oklahoma, emphasized that although we really want a character to tell a story, sometimes the data can be the character. For…
Read MoreUse housing data to report on the economy, education and more
By Brittany Crocker Big data has changed the way we look at housing. We no longer have to view a house through the lens of a real estate agent. Zillow has a database of 110 million homes that includes data for buyers and sellers, renters, homeowners, real estate agents, property managers, mortgage providers…and reporters. Skylar…
Read MoreJournalists share data projects you can try anywhere
By Jinghong Chen During a session at the 2016 CAR Conference, Kevin Crowe of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Jamie Grey of KOMU-Columbia shared tips and data projects that journalists everywhere can try. 1. Infrastructure Crowe said that people in lots of places, especially aging cities, are worried about potholes, water main breaks and pavement…
Read MoreNICAR 360: A look inside the Denver conference
Student blogger JuHyun Lee carried a RICOH THETA m15 camera around the 2016 CAR Conference to give us a 360-degree look inside the classrooms. Post from RICOH THETA. – Spherical Image – RICOH THETA Post from RICOH THETA. – Spherical Image – RICOH THETA
Read MoreI built my first news app, and so can you!
By Daniela Sirtori-Cortina Doubt quickly took over me when the “Build Your First News App” session kicked off Friday morning of the CAR Conference. During the six-hour class — split into two three-hour seminars — Derek Willis from ProPublica and Ben Welsh from the Los Angeles Times guided the group through the process of building…
Read MoreGetting to know Brent Jones of St. Louis Public Radio
Brent Jones | Photo by Phillip Jackson Phillip Jackson, a student Hampton University and a 2016 CAR Conference Knight Scholar, talks with Brent Jones, the data visual specialist for St. Louis Public Radio. Jackson: What do you do at St. Louis Public Radio? Jones: I help reporters use data to tell stories, and that can…
Read MoreWhere to find information on ‘dark money’
By Brittany Crocker There’s a saying in the journalism world: “News is what someone wants suppressed. Everything else is advertising.” Carrie Levine from the Center for Public Integrity said if that’s true, then we should all be writing stories about dark money. Levine, Robert Maguire from the Center for Responsive Politics and Melissa Yeager of…
Read More