{
  "id": "1994-june-fed-or-med-you-can-find-it-online",
  "slug": "1994-june-fed-or-med-you-can-find-it-online",
  "url": "https://dwillis.github.io/uplink/article/1994-june-fed-or-med-you-can-find-it-online.html",
  "year": 1994,
  "month": "June",
  "monthNum": 6,
  "headline": "Fed or Med? You can find it online",
  "kicker": "",
  "author_name": "Beth Marchak",
  "author_title": "",
  "affiliation": "The Plain Dealer",
  "summary": "FedWorld, a government online database launched in 1993, has become a useful resource for journalists covering the White House and federal issues, while the Internet also offers specialized medical newsletters on topics like RSI, Lyme Disease, and cancer that can help reporters develop stories.",
  "keywords": [
    "database",
    "journalists",
    "medical"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Technology",
    "Investigative Methods",
    "Health & Environment"
  ],
  "technologies": [
    "Internet",
    "World Wide Web",
    "gopher",
    "FedWorld"
  ],
  "full_text": "FedWorld, the government's one-stop snooping on-line computer databases, is evolving into a reference for those covering the White House. The database, which was launched in March 1993, was connected to the Internet in August. It contains more than 130 bulletin boards and databases. It's the easiest place to find White House information. The only problem is it's on a different menu, which makes it hard to find. To get there, Type \"W-house\" at the prompt, follow the menu and find access to White House speeches, press releases, appointments, and major releases like the health care bill. Journalists and others who dial into various World computers don't complete access to all the information that employees do. In some cases that means the database/bulletin board is almost worthless. In other cases, like Quick Facts! Information on Alcohol Abuse and the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, the information is a great start on a story. The messaging bulletin boards are not as lively as on CARR-L or The Well, but they are useful for contacts for government issues like the National Performance Review where federal workers love to jaw about who ought to pay for their business cards. Fed World is still evolving like its commercial counterparts. In late May, for example, it added several trade documents which it promoted on the welcome screen. The Internet has a vast array of medical resources. Here are three that could prove useful to reporters this summer: RSI: Repetitive Stress Injury newsletter tracks studies, medical literature and new treatments for those suffering from RSI, Some of the stories in the newsletter deal with the psychological studies of the illness, lawsuits, the ergonomic issues and advances that minimize the disease's impact. To subscribe, send a message entitled \"RSI subscription\" to dadadata@ world.std.com or call Craig O'Donnell at 617/776-2809 for more information. Lyme Disease: This little known, underreported disease is the subject of an online newsletter published 26 times a year. One way to get it is to gopher to NIH, then to medical publications. The newsletter contains information about studies and outbreaks. The newsletter, which in part promotes awareness of disease, now contains listings of patient and physician events. It also contains a jargon index and medical abstracts, sightings, treatments book reviews and stories about lobbying Congress for money and research. Some of the information is clearly too technical for newspapers but it gives sources of outbreaks and those involved in studying them. It's stated purpose is to bring \"physicians, researchers and support group leaders together electronically to put pieces of the LD puzzle together.\" To subscribe and get more information message lymenet-1@lehigh.edu. CancerNet: Several cancer-related topics are covered here, including AIDS, adult and childhood cancers and drug information summaries, reports on drug trials and some information from Medline. Gopher to NIH and start digging into the sub menus. A few highlights: The AIDS Daily Summary contains a roundup of local and national and international stories which appears to be available the same day. Statistics, resources, a bibliography and a reference guide for clinicians is also available. On the same menu is the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, which recently highlighted the increase in rabies cases, examining incidents state by state. The report also had 1991 stats for breast cancer and listed several doctors studying each issue. Depending on the information sought, the results are available either online or by fax. To sign up, send a mail message to cancernet@icib.nci.nih.gov. Type the word help in the body of the message. Contact cheryl@icib.nih.gov with questions or problems. The FedWorld messaging bulletin boards are not as lively as on CARR-L or The Well, but they are useful for contacts for government issues like the National Performance Review where federal workers love to jaw about who ought to pay for their business cards. You can contact Beth Marchak at Marchak@digex.com or Marchak@digex.net",
  "provenance": {
    "extracted_by": "pre-v2",
    "extracted_at": "",
    "verified": true
  },
  "similar": [
    {
      "slug": "1995-september-fun-fed-sites",
      "score": 0.212
    },
    {
      "slug": "1996-december-handout-of-the-month",
      "score": 0.2
    },
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      "slug": "1997-july-from-the-nicar-library",
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  ],
  "html_url": "https://dwillis.github.io/uplink/article/1994-june-fed-or-med-you-can-find-it-online.html",
  "json_url": "https://dwillis.github.io/uplink/article/1994-june-fed-or-med-you-can-find-it-online.json"
}