{
  "id": "1990-december-plugging-in",
  "slug": "1990-december-plugging-in",
  "url": "https://dwillis.github.io/uplink/article/1990-december-plugging-in.html",
  "year": 1990,
  "month": "December",
  "monthNum": 12,
  "headline": "Plugging In",
  "kicker": "",
  "author_name": "Susan Drumheller",
  "author_title": "",
  "affiliation": "MICAR",
  "summary": "Greg Reeves of the Kansas City Star shares his experiences implementing computer-assisted reporting, discussing the software and hardware challenges he faced, the efficiency gains achieved through better data processing tools, and the importance of verifying data accuracy before publication.",
  "keywords": [
    "software",
    "database",
    "verification"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Investigative Methods",
    "Technology",
    "Data & Databases"
  ],
  "technologies": [
    "Nine Track Express",
    "XDB",
    "Datatrieve",
    "9-track tape"
  ],
  "full_text": "Every other month, Uplink asks an individual or organization that is just beginning to use computer- assisted reporting to share their problems and victories for \"Plugging In.\" If you have any advice or words of wisdom to share, please call us at MICAR. The Kansas City Star began it's commitment to computer-assisted reporting in March 1989 when reporter Greg Reeves pursued a half million Kansas and Missouri property assessment records on computer tape. Since then, Reeves attended MICAR's TRI/DART seminar and has helped to firmly establish computer-assisted reporting at his organization. The Star has purchased 44 database tapes in the past 18 months. Reeves shared some of his experiences with Uplink: Software and Hardware: Before Reeves attended the MICAR seminar, the Star invested in two tape drives, Nine Track Express and XDB software. Though NineTrack Express was a great help, XDB presented several new problems for Reeves and the Star. For Reeves, the problem was that he had already become accustomed to another database management program called Datatrieve by Digital Equipment Corporation. For the Star, the problem was that XDB required a great deal of memory. Because Reeves' computer is hooked \"I was exposed and discovered by data-processing and forced to delete files I had become emotionally attached to.\" into a network, the Star's computer people have had trouble dealing with XDB's large size. Reeves required 10 gigabytes of memory for XDB and file space. \"It was the first time anyone saw a file bigger than 100 megabytes,\" Reeves said. For a while, he tried stashing files on other reporters' unused disk space. \"I was discovered by data processing and forced to delete files I had become emotionally attached to,\" Reeves said. He will be running some \"acid tests\" to compare XDB with Datatrieve in the near future. Data: Life became much easier for Star reporters once they started using NineTrack Express, Reeves explained. \"We used to get computer tapes, take them down to data-processing and have the data in usable form in about 6 to 8 weeks,\" Reeves said. \"Now, with decent software, it takes days or even hours.\" NineTrack was the \"single biggest help in this whole thing,\" Reeves said. \"It frees you from computer programmers.\" Reporters at the Star are using drivers' license records regularly, now that Reeves was able to download the data into the network. Reporting: Making sure that information is correct must be a priority, Reeves said. For example, the drivers' license records Reeves attained were missing a crucial code that distinguished one John Smith born of Jan. 1 from another with the same name and birthdate. Reeves said he uses data from computer tape simply as a starting block for further investigation. He will, for example, double-check electronically stored records with hard-copy. The potential for error is too huge, Reeves said.",
  "provenance": {
    "extracted_by": "pre-v2",
    "extracted_at": "",
    "verified": true
  },
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  "html_url": "https://dwillis.github.io/uplink/article/1990-december-plugging-in.html",
  "json_url": "https://dwillis.github.io/uplink/article/1990-december-plugging-in.json"
}