21st Century Muckrakers
Watchdog reporting resides at the core of what journalism does. Its roots dig deeply into the common ground uniting the muckrakers’ unearthing of public and private scandals a century ago with what investigative reporters are illuminating today. Though reporting and distribution of this news is very different in the digital era, unfortunately the human conditions requiring press scrutiny are not. These include patterns of corruption and malfeasance among those holding powerful positions of public and private trust.
Want to add social science methods to your toolbox of investigative reporting skills? What follows are some ways to consider doing this:
Read “Precision Journalism: A Reporter’s Introduction to Social Science Methods” (4th edition) by Philip Meyer.
Fuzzy with math? Read “Numbers in the Newsroom: Using Math and Statistics in News,” by Sarah Cohen, the Pulitzer-winning Washington Post database editor.
Get the boss to buy you a copy of SPSS 16.0: This is a widely used statistical analysis software package. It’s pricey, at $1,700, but it will do most of the kinds of analyses precision journalists are performing these days. Better yet, the SPSS documentation, manuals and practice data serve as a good tutorial in statistical techniques.
Join Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE): It offers training in computer-assisted reporting in general and precision journalism in particular[see note 1].
Subscribe to NICAR-L: This e-mail listserv is frequented by most of the reporters who are using precision journalism tools [see note 2].
Consider signing up for the annual advanced newsroom statistics boot camp at Arizona State University [see note 3].
Sign up for the annual “Mapping Data for News Stories” boot camp at IRE’s headquarters at the University of Missouri.
Take a statistics course and a geographical information systems course at your local university. Most professors will be intrigued about helping you become a precision journalist. — S.K.D
Read “Precision Journalism: A Reporter’s Introduction to Social Science Methods” (4th edition) by Philip Meyer.
Fuzzy with math? Read “Numbers in the Newsroom: Using Math and Statistics in News,” by Sarah Cohen, the Pulitzer-winning Washington Post database editor.
Get the boss to buy you a copy of SPSS 16.0: This is a widely used statistical analysis software package. It’s pricey, at $1,700, but it will do most of the kinds of analyses precision journalists are performing these days. Better yet, the SPSS documentation, manuals and practice data serve as a good tutorial in statistical techniques.
Join Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE): It offers training in computer-assisted reporting in general and precision journalism in particular[see note 1].
Subscribe to NICAR-L: This e-mail listserv is frequented by most of the reporters who are using precision journalism tools [see note 2].
Consider signing up for the annual advanced newsroom statistics boot camp at Arizona State University [see note 3].
Sign up for the annual “Mapping Data for News Stories” boot camp at IRE’s headquarters at the University of Missouri.
Take a statistics course and a geographical information systems course at your local university. Most professors will be intrigued about helping you become a precision journalist. — S.K.D
