Last day to apply for Rural Computer-Assisted Reporting fellowship to 5-day IRE Boot Camp

Today, Nov. 27, is the deadline to apply for the Rural Computer-Assisted Reporting Fellowship to the next Investigative Reporters and Editors computer-assisted reporting boot camp in Columbia, Mo. The data boot camp will be held Jan. 8-12.

This fellowship is open only to journalists who work in rural areas. Journalists if they work outside of a metropolitan area (with a core urban population of 50,000 or more), for a newspaper with a circulation of less than 40,000, a television station outside the top 100 Nielsen markets, or a radio or online news organization with a record of covering rural areas. Freelancers should submit a letter from such an outlet testifying to their working relationship with that outlet and the prospect of publishing work they do as a result of the training.

Daniel Gilbert

The fellowship includes a one-year IRE membership, registration fee for the boot camp and up to $500 in reimbursement for travel expenses. It does not cover food or incidentals. It is financed by the Fund for Rural Computer-Assisted Reporting, established by IRE member Daniel Gilbert to give rural reporters skills that will help them uncover stories that otherwise would not come to light. The fellowship is offered in conjunction with the University of Kentucky's Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, publisher of The Rural Blog.

Required application materials include a resume, three clips showcasing investigative work, a letter of support from your news organization, and a statement of interest (preference is given to applicants who outline a project that includes the need to analyze databases). To apply, click here. To learn more about the fellowship from people who have received it, go here.

Only rural journalists can get this fellowship to a computer-assisted reporting boot camp of IRE; application deadline is Wednesday, June 7

Wednesday, June 7 is the deadline to apply for the Rural Computer-Assisted Reporting Fellowship to one of the next Investigative Reporters and Editors computer-assisted reporting boot camps in Columbia, Mo. The data boot camp will be held Aug. 6-10 and the mapping boot camp will be held Aug. 11-13.

The fellowship is open only to journalists who work in rural areas. Journalists are eligible for a fellowship if they work outside of a metropolitan area (with a core urban population of 50,000 or more), for a newspaper with a circulation of less than 40,000, a television station outside of the top 100 Nielsen markets, or a radio or online news organization with a record of covering rural areas. Freelancers should submit a letter from such an outlet testifying to their working relationship with that outlet.

The fellowship includes a one-year IRE membership, registration fee for the selected boot camp and up to $500 in reimbursement for travel expenses. It does not cover food or incidentals. It is financed by the Fund for Rural Computer-Assisted Reporting, established by IRE member Daniel Gilbert to give rural reporters skills that will help them uncover stories that otherwise would not come to light. The fellowship is offered in conjunction with the University of Kentucky's Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, publisher of The Rural Blog.

Required application materials include a resume, three clips showcasing investigative work, a letter of support from your news organization, and a statement of interest (preference is given to applicants who outline a project that includes the need to analyze databases). To apply, click here.

Census Bureau makes data easier to find and read

The Census Bureau has improved its Search and QuickFacts functions on its website, reports Carolyn Crist of CoveringPoverty.org. "That may seem small, but it'll help you find statistics and data even easier than before," she writes. "The improved search feature provides access to information and visualizations, and you can filter by content type, such as image or video. Also, QuickFacts has a better view that allows you to see charts, maps and stats for up to six locations at once. You can also share on social media, embed numbers and download content."

Columbia, Mo., paper uses OpenBlock program to connect readers to community happenings

OpenBlock, created in 2009, is a web application that allows users to browse and search their local areas for maps and up-to-the-minute news, including 911 calls, crime reports, restaurant inspections, police and fire department activities, coupons, business and restaurant reviews, local news, sports and photos, open houses, and notifications of new business licenses and local events.

In the digital age the tool is a handy one for media outlets, especially newspapers, allowing them to constantly update the site, while letting users post their own information and photos. And for readers always looking for the latest information, the sites are a perfect place to find out what's happening in your neighborhood.

One paper that has added OpenBlock to their resume is the Columbia Daily Tribune. The newspaper in the town that is home to the University of Missouri recently began an online section called Neighborhoods, which features a wide variety of information that "offers a street-level view of things going on around you," the paper tells its readers.

The site, which has both simple and detailed navigation instructions, allows users to "browse all types of information across the whole city or filter down to just the neighborhood and type of report that interests you the most," the paper says. "Best of all, you can zero in on the area you care most about—whether that's the block where you live, the area around your kids' school or just the place you happen to be using your mobile phone." To visit the site, click here.

Business and computer-assisted reporting workshops to be held in Louisville Feb. 27 through March 3

Louisville's Hyatt Regency Hotel, right, will be one of the best places in America to improve your journalism skills this year, all in the space of a few days: Wednesday, Feb. 27 through Sunday, March 3.

The first day, from 2 to 5 p.m., the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism will offer a free workshop, "Breaking Local Stories with Economic Data." Center Director Linda Linda Austin writes, "Government data offer unparalleled opportunities to distinguish your reporting with trend stories about what’s happening in your local economy. Especially this year, with the release of the every-five-year Economic Census, journalists will have a unique opportunity to track changes in their local community from 2007 — before the recession — to 2012." Instructors Paul Overberg of USA Today and Jeannine Aversa of the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, a former writer for The Associated Press, will show how to do least 15 local enterprise stories from government economic data. Examples will be specific to the Louisville region, but applicable anywhere. For a PDF of the program flyer, click here. To just sign up for the workshop, go here.

The next four days is the annual conference presented by Investigative Reporters and Editors and the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting. It has something for everyone, from beginners (basics on spreadsheets, databases and online mapping) to experts (data science and the latest technological advances). The list of sessions is still growing, as is the attendance; the room block at the Hyatt is full of near-full, but other hotels are available; see here. For more information, go here.