Over the past year, many newsroom managers have been struggling with how to set up and oversee computer-assisted reporting. In response, NICAR is collecting the different models that news organizations have used for CAR. We plan to use the information to develop written materials and a curriculum for seminars. The working name of the national conference is NashCAR, to be held in Nashville March 6-9.
It will offer panels and hands-on training for all levels of users. With the help of the Knight Foundation and Freedom Forum, NICAR has also increased opportunities for minority journalists. By January, more than 20 minority journalists will have gone through NICAR's week-long bootcamp seminars. NICAR's on-the-road trainer, Neil Reisner, has traveled across the country teaching at TV stations, newspapers, and universities.
In January, Reisner plans to handle on-line training and database work, and we will hire a new on-the-road trainer.