Event
2018 San Jose Watchdog Workshop
Hosted by: San Jose State University in conjunction with Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting
IRE and Reveal will offer several core sessions, designed to improve your ability to find information on the Web quickly, and point you to key documents and data that will help you add depth to your daily work and produce quick-hit enterprise stories. In addition, this workshop will give you tips on bulletproofing stories, digging deeper on the Web with social media, search engines and much more.
These sessions are designed for reporters, editors, and producers from small, midsize and large publications, TV, radio stations, Web-only news sites and news blogs. Freelancers, students and journalism educators are also encouraged to attend.
Expected speakers include: Ziva Branstetter & Katharine Mieszkowski, Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting; Karen de Sa, San Francisco Chronicle; Jason Leopold, BuzzFeed News; Thomas Peele, Bay Area News Group; Julia Prodis-Sulek, The Mercury News; Paige St. John, Los Angeles Times; Stephen Stock, NBC Bay Area; and Mark Walker, IRE/NICAR.
Fellowships for this workshop are available for journalists of color working as freelance investigative reporters, or planning to do so in the near future. To learn more or apply, see “FIRE Diversity Fellowships” at https://ire.org/events-and-training/fellowships-and-scholarships/.
Join IRE's experienced trainers and a group of veteran reporters for our Watchdog Workshop Saturday, September 29.
Get the tools and the tricks of the trade that you need to be a better, faster, watchdog journalist.
Optional Computer-Assisted Reporting Training
Sunday, September 30, 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Attend this hands-on workshop and learn how to use Excel, a powerful electronic spreadsheet for deadline and beat reporting on budgets, salaries, election data and more. Also, learn how to dig deeper using the Internet and find valuable datasets for your stories. Class size is limited; register early to reserve a seat on a first-come, first-served basis.
Optional Step up your audio game workshop
Sunday, September 30, 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Radio shows and podcasts like Reveal, In the Dark and This American Life have proven there are millions of people who want to listen to investigative reporting. In this hands-on workshop, we'll give you a crash course in how to reach them and make your investigative findings sing, with tips and tricks on interviewing and sound-gathering; structuring and writing narratives that work for the ear; and pitching the shows that will take your work to the next level. Class size is limited; register early to reserve a seat on a first-come, first-served basis.
Workshop Location
Saturday's workshop will take place in Morris Dailey Auditorium. Sunday's optional sessions will take place in Dwight Bentel Hall, Rooms 133 and 226. A campus map can be found here.
Parking
Parking is available in a garage near the training for a fee. A campus map can be found here.
Workshop Fees (includes a one-year IRE membership, if you are a current IRE member, your membership will be extended by one year. Attendees must meet IRE membership terms)
$55 Professional
$25 Student
$30 Optional Computer-Assisted Reporting Training (hands-on)
$30 Optional Set up your audio game workshop
Registration
If you are a current member, please complete your registration online by logging into your member profile. Once you have logged in, click on my profile, next to the welcome and your name. Once you are in the members-only side of the database, select conferences and events on the left-hand side of the screen under my profile, then select the 2018 San Jose Watchdog Workshop.
If your membership has expired or you are not currently an IRE member, you can still register for the workshop here.
Workshop evaluations
Attendees can access the workshop evaluation online. We appreciate feedback from attendees as this allows us to improve the program and provide feedback to our funders.
Cancellations must be sent via email to Dylan Sinn, dylan@ire.org. There is a $25 processing fee for professionals ($10 for students) for cancellations until the day before the event. Refunds will not be given for cancellations on the day of, or after the event.
Time and place
Saturday, Sep. 29, 2018 - Sunday, Sep. 30, 2018
San Jose State University
1 Washington Sq
San Jose, California 95192
Registration information
Registration for this event is open! Click here to begin.
Hurry! Registration closes on Saturday, Sep. 29 at 5:00pm.
Schedule details
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Panel
Welcome & overview
Speakers: Mark Walker of The New York Times; Ziva Branstetter of The Washington Post
Rundown of what you'll learn today and key logistics about the meeting space.
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Panel
Developing an investigative mindset
Speakers: Ziva Branstetter of The Washington Post; Paige St. John of Los Angeles Times
Learn how investigative methods and tools can transform your stories, whether they're quick turns or long-term enterprise pieces.
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Panel
Public records: Tips and tactics
Speakers: Jason Leopold of BuzzFeed News; Thomas Peele of Bay Area News Group
Learn tips for obtaining local, state and federal public records that produce powerful stories.
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Panel
Source development
Speakers: Karen de Sa of San Francisco Chronicle; Jason Leopold of BuzzFeed News
Identifying sources and how to get them to talk. Interviewing strategies to get the best information from sources and cultivating relationships.
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Panel
Data for breaking news
Speaker: Stephen Stock of NBC Bay Area
When news breaks, be ready to pounce with key data sets that give you an investigative edge over the competition. Dig deeper with data and other resources across topics including aviation, federal spending, workplace safety, crime, business and weather.
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Panel
The art of the investigative interview
Speakers: Paige St. John of Los Angeles Times; Julia Prodis-Sulek of The Mercury News
Watchdog stories pose special challenges, including how best to prep for interviews, approach sources, handle tough situations, navigate ethical trouble-spots and more. Learn how to master the interview to hold your sources accountable.
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Panel
Online sleuthing
Speaker: Mark Walker of The New York Times
Learn advanced tricks and tips for mining Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other sites during breaking news and for enterprise stories. Learn how to do geographic searches to find sources, visuals and other material near a specific address or in a particular city. Discover ways to automate tasks to save time and run searches by location, hash tags and more.
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Panel
What IRE can do for you
Speaker: Mark Walker of The New York Times
Explore key resources and services from IRE to help you bolster your watchdog reporting after the workshop.
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Hands-on
Optional Computer-Assisted Reporting Training
Speaker: Mark Walker of The New York Times
Attend this hands-on workshop and learn how to use Google Sheets, a powerful electronic spreadsheet for deadline and beat reporting on budgets, salaries, election data and more. Also, learn how to dig deeper using the Internet and find valuable datasets for your stories. Class size is limited; register early to reserve a seat on a first-come, first-served basis.
NOTE: Registration is required for this session. Click here to sign up.
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Panel
Optional Step up your audio game
Speakers: Katharine Mieszkowski of Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting; Tonya Mosley of KQED Public Radio
Radio shows and podcasts like Reveal, In the Dark and This American Life have proven there are millions of people who want to listen to investigative reporting. In this hands-on workshop, we'll give you a crash course in how to reach them and make your investigative findings sing, with tips and tricks on interviewing and sound-gathering; structuring and writing narratives that work for the ear; and pitching the shows that will take your work to the next level. Class size is limited; register early to reserve a seat on a first-come, first-served basis.
NOTE: Registration is required for this session. Click here to sign up.