Heritage Foundation Leadership for America

RESOURCES

Investigative Reporters & Editors
If you are not yet a member of Investigative Reporters & Editors (IRE), you should be. A key part of IRE is the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting (NICAR).

The site includes a link to Uplink, NICAR's monthly newsletter on CARR projects and techniques, as well as lists of available databases and other useful information.

Computer-Assisted Reporting: A Practical Guide
(book and compendium web site)
NICAR offers a set of online training exercises that can be used in conjunction with executive director of Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) Brant Houston's Computer-Assisted Reporting: A Practical Guide.

A copy of the latest edition of Houston's book is provided at no cost to all Database 101/201 CARR Boot Camp attendees.

U.S. Census
Another vital page on the IRE web site is for the U.S. Census. This is an absolutely essential site if you plan on any reporting that involves virtually any demographic data about anyplace in America.

Campaign Finance Information Center
If your area has elections, you will need to know about this page on the IRE web site. The Campaign Finance Information Center is to political contributions what the U.S. Census Bureau is to demographics.

NICAR Listserv
To establish email contact with CARR journalists and others interested in CARR topics and initiatives, get on the NICAR listserv. To subscribe, send an email to listproc@lists.missouri.edu containing the following message: subscribe NICAR-L [Your Name Here].

Power Reporting
Former AP CARR director Bill Dedman now runs the web site Power Reporting. This site includes a wealth of useful resources, including links to CARR courses offered online at top journalism schools.

Data-Crunching 101
Canadian journalist Bill Doskoch is the brain behind the Data-Crunching 101 web site.This site is especially useful as a review for basic Excel and Access skills.

50 CARR Story Ideas
For an index of potential ideas and inspiration, visit NICAR's 50 C.A.R. Ideas for Your Beat.