Computer-Assisted Reporting: Tools for Journalists

1
Computer-Assisted ReportingTools for Journalists

• Steve Doig
• Cronkite School of Journalism
• Arizona State University

2
My background

• Majored in political science
• 23 years as a newspaper reporter in Florida
• Covered government, justice, politics, science,
  etc.
• My first computer (Atari 800) in 1982
• Did many CAR projects and stories
• Im NOT a computer expert

3
What is CAR?

• CAR is the use of computers and social science
  methods to acquire and analyze information to do
  stories that otherwise would be difficult or
  impossible.

4
But remember

• The most important word in
• computer-assisted reporting is
• REPORTING

5
Reporting about problems

• Three methods
• Wait for authority to study the problem, then
  report their findings
• Gather anecdotes for a story about the problem
• Study the problem yourself, then report your
  findings

6
History of CAR

• Scattered examples starting with news polling in
  the 1950s
• Precision Journalism written by Phil Meyer in
  1972
• Handful of U.S. reporters start using personal
  computers in early 1980s
• NICAR started in 1989
• First CAR Pulitzer in 1989
• CAR spreads outside the U.S (Jose Roberto de
  Toledo in Brazil!)
• Today Thousands of reporters use it around the
  world

7
A few CAR topics

• Crime and justice
• Elections
• Campaign finance
• Property values
• Racial segregation
• Environment
• Education
• Transportation

• Weather and disasters
• Agriculture
• Public opinion
• Health care
• Sports
• Business
• Demographics
• Taxes and spending

8
Some Big CAR examples

• Hurricane Andrew Miami Herald
• Backdated stock options WS Journal
• Dangerous train crossings NY Times
• Police shootings Washington Post
• Black drivers Boston Globe
• Childrens deaths Washington Post
• Election fraud Miami Herald
• Prisoners released O Globo

9
Some Daily CAR examples

• Dog licenses
• Crime reports
• Parking tickets
• Personal ads
• School test scores
• Bicycle accidents
• Oscar winners
• Sports injuries

10
Two branches of CAR

1. Online research Looking for information
2. Data analysis Looking for patterns

11
Some good journalism sites
12
www.abraji.org.br
13
www.ibge.gov.br
14
www.ire.org
15
PowerReporting.com
16
www.poynter.org
17
www.reporter.org/desktop/
18
Search Google for cybertimesnavigator
19
www.LexisNexis.com ()
20
Two branches of CAR

1. Online research Looking for information
2. Data analysis Looking for patterns

21
What is data?

• Organized information
• Table form
• Rows Individual records
• Columns Variables

22
CAR Tools

• Word processor
• Spreadsheet (Excel)
• Database (Access, Filemaker)
• Statistics (SAS, SPSS)
• Mapping (ArcMap, Google Maps)
• Exotic stuff (GPS, intranets, web publishing,
  interactive maps, et al.)

23
Word processor/text editor

• Use Words search function to find text
• Use a heavy-duty programmers text editor (like
  Vedit or UltraEdit) to explore big data files

24
Spreadsheet

• Smart paper
• 65.000 rows and 255 columns
• Use to
• Sort
• Filter
• Transform
• Summarize

25
Murders in Brazil
26
Database manager (Access)

• Can work with large tables (gt65.000)
• Use to join tables to create new information
• Examples
• Criminals and teachers
• Drunk drivers and school bus drivers

27
Statistical programs

• SAS and SPSS (and Excel)
• Good for basic statistical tests
• Mean, median, ranking, etc.
• Chi-square
• Linear regression

28
Mapping

• GIS Geographical Information Systems
• Good for data with location
• Examples Census, crime, traffic, environment,
  elections

29
Mapping
30
Mapping with data
31
Free CAR software?

• Docs.Google.Com free online spreadsheet!
• OpenOffice.org Calc is a free open-source
  spreadsheet
• Google Maps new free My Maps

32
docs.google.com
33
OpenOffice.org
34
Googles My Maps
35
Other precision tools

• Public opinion polling
• Field experiments
• Newsroom intranets
• Online maps
• Satellite imagery
• Data mining

36
The newsroom CAR pyramid

• All reporters should know that CAR tools exist
• Many reporters should be able to use a
  spreadsheet
• Some reporters should know how to use a database
  program
• At least one reporter should know how to do
  mapping, statistics

37
Getting Data

• Are government records public?
• Search Google filetypexls and domain.br
  (83.000 pages!)
• See a report Ask for it on CD or flash drive,
  not paper
• If there is a web lookup, there is a database
  behind it
• Type it in yourself?

38
Dangers of CAR
39
Data analysis dangers

• Old days Go to a press conference
• Today Do your own study
• Problem You become the expert
• CAR Social science on deadline
• Mistakes caused by
• Carelessness School scores
• Misunderstanding Infant mortality
• Bad data Drunk driving in Miami

40
Warnings!

• CAR is not faster
• Bad data looks like good data
• Computers do what you tell them to do, not what
  you want them to do
• Ask yourself Does this make sense?
• CAR can make a good reporter better, but cant
  make a bad reporter good

41
Questions??