If you can attend just one computer-assisted reporting event this year, make it to CAR Trek in the Silicon Valley, Oct. 6-9. The people who pioneered these reporting techniques, the top practitioners of the craft, and the best instructors of CAR will talk and teach for four intense days of panels and hands-on training at the Westin Hotel (800-228-3000 or 408-986-0700 for reservations) in Santa Clara. Registration is $150. Call IRE at 314-882-2042 for details. CAR panels will range across every kind of computer-assisted reporting. Hands-on training will cover beginning and advanced topics, including the Internet. You'll be able to snag speakers for one-on-ones in the hallways and in the computer demonstration room where you can go into greater detail about what interests you. Sponsored by IRE/NICAR and the San Jose Mercury News, the conference also will showcase a host of vendors showing off their databases and online wares. CAR Trek has a terrific team of journalists from newspapers and broadcast. You may have e-mailed them or talked to them on the phone - now come and meet them.
Conference registration is $150. Call IRE at (314) 882-2042 for details and forms.
Here's a partial line-up
Scott Anderson, Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel Dave Armstrong, Boston Globe Adam Berliant, Tacoma News Tribune Neill Borowski, Philadelphia Inquirer Tom Boyer, Virginian-Pilot & Ledger-Star James Brown, Indiana University Ron Campbell, Orange County Register Pete Carey, San Jose Mercury News Morgan Cartwright, Contra Costa Times William Casey, Washington Post Rose Ciotta, Buffalo News Russell Clemings, Fresno Bee Wendell Cochran, American University Sarah Cohen, Tampa Tribune Alan Cox, WCCO-TV Tom Curran, New York Newsday Dave Davis, Cleveland Plain Dealer Bill Dedman, Associated Press James Derk, Evansville Courier David Dietz, San Francisco Chronicle Steve Doig, Miami Herald Jacqueline Doubinis, National Library on Money and Politics John Freed, New York Times Dan Gillmor, San Jose Mercury News Rich Gordon, Miami Herald Tom Heslin, Providence Journal Bulletin Elliot Jaspin, Cox Newspapers Tom Johnson, San Francisco State University George Jordan, New York Newsday Jillian Kaskey, Money Magazine Jeff Kummer, St. Paul Pioneer Press Jennifer LaFleur, NICAR George Landau, St. Louis Post Dispatch Alan Levin, Hartford Courant Penny Loeb, US News & World Report Beth Marchak, Cleveland Plain Dealer Carla Marinucci, San Francisco Examiner Rich Mauer, Anchorage Daily News Shawn McIntosh, Dallas Morning News Ted Mellnik, Charlotte Observer Philip Meyer, University of North Carolina Tom Moore, Congressional Quarterly Dwight Morris, Los Angeles Times Richard Mullins, NICAR/University of Missouri Carol Napolitano, Munster Times Richard O'Reilly, Los Angeles Times Peter Overby, Common Cause Magazine Bob Paynter, Akron Beacon Journal Tom Philp, Sacramento Bee Bob Port, St. Petersburg Times Matt Reavy, NICAR Greg Reeves, Kansas City Star Neil Reisner, Bergen Record Kenton Robinson, Hartford Courant Richard Robertson, Arizona Republic Steve Ross, Columbia University Ricardo Sandoval, Center for Investigative Reporting Anne Saul, Gannett Newspapers Jon Schmid, Raleigh News & Observer Chris Schmitt, San Jose Mercury News David Stoeffler, Wisconsin State Journal Hai Strauss, Atlanta Journal & Constitution Danny Sullivan, Orange County Register Drew Sullivan, NICAR Scott Thurm, San Jose Mercury News Lisa Van Asch, Raleigh News & Observer Patrick Weiland, Eye to Eye, CBS Dan Woods, Raleigh News & Observer Kevin Woodward, Santa Cruz County Sentinel