{
  "id": "1996-february-the-abcs-of-car",
  "slug": "1996-february-the-abcs-of-car",
  "url": "https://dwillis.github.io/uplink/article/1996-february-the-abcs-of-car.html",
  "year": 1996,
  "month": "February",
  "monthNum": 2,
  "headline": "The ABCs of CAR",
  "kicker": "Practical guide to computer-assisted reporting",
  "author_name": "",
  "author_title": "",
  "affiliation": "",
  "summary": "Brant Houston's 'Computer-Assisted Reporting: A Practical Guide' is an introductory handbook that teaches journalists how to use computer tools and online databases for reporting, including accessing government data and detecting analytical flaws.",
  "keywords": [
    "reporting",
    "databases",
    "journalism"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Investigative Methods",
    "Journalism & Newsroom",
    "Technology"
  ],
  "technologies": [
    "Internet"
  ],
  "full_text": "\"Computer-Assisted Reporting: A Practical Guide\" by Brant Houston specifically written for the beginner is a concise handbook providing students with an accessible guide to the essentials of computer-assisted reporting. The first text of its kind, \"Computer-Assisted Reporting: A Practical Guide\" can be used in a wide variety of introductory courses. Its focused approach also makes it suitable as a supplementary text for more advanced courses or as a handy reference for the working journalist. Emphasizing the most useful tools in on-line reporting, it springboards students into the computer age. The book provides, in a concise format, the knowledge students need to understand-and effectively use-computer-assisted reporting. The text helps students locate and negotiate government databases, examines how to use descriptive statistics to perform an initial analysis of those databases, and explains how to detect flaws. Other feature includes: Includes numerous practical examples and step-by-step procedures on the basics of computer-assisted reporting. Gives students a straightforward, practical, guided tour through the Internet. Accompanied by data diskette. Houston is managing director of the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting at the University of Missouri. The book is available for $24 from IRE and St. Martin's Press Inc., New York.",
  "provenance": {
    "extracted_by": "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6",
    "extracted_at": "2026-07-05",
    "verified": true
  },
  "similar": [
    {
      "slug": "1996-august-managing-car-reporting",
      "score": 0.249
    },
    {
      "slug": "2006-may-june-car-its-a-starting-point",
      "score": 0.212
    },
    {
      "slug": "1996-april-new-books-for-online-journalism",
      "score": 0.19
    },
    {
      "slug": "1996-september-get-your-training",
      "score": 0.188
    },
    {
      "slug": "1997-decemberjanuary-road-map-for-the-future",
      "score": 0.183
    }
  ],
  "html_url": "https://dwillis.github.io/uplink/article/1996-february-the-abcs-of-car.html",
  "json_url": "https://dwillis.github.io/uplink/article/1996-february-the-abcs-of-car.json"
}