{
  "id": "1996-june-checking-data-integrity",
  "slug": "1996-june-checking-data-integrity",
  "url": "https://dwillis.github.io/uplink/article/1996-june-checking-data-integrity.html",
  "year": 1996,
  "month": "June",
  "monthNum": 6,
  "headline": "Checking data integrity",
  "kicker": "Tech Tip",
  "author_name": "Drew Sullivan",
  "author_title": "",
  "affiliation": "Associated Press",
  "summary": "NICAR instructor Richard Mullins emphasizes that all databases contain flaws and errors, such as data entry mistakes by government workers and incomplete information that even skilled designers cannot fully prevent.",
  "keywords": [
    "databases",
    "data",
    "journalism"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Data & Databases",
    "Investigative Methods"
  ],
  "technologies": [],
  "full_text": "A pair of mantras that NICAR's Richard Mullins teaches his students at the Missouri School of Journalism is: \"All databases are bad,\" and \"All data is dirty.\" If you've worked with many databases, you soon realize the truth in these statements. Underpaid and overworked government data-entry clerks will forever confuse similar postal codes, such as Missouri (MO) and Montana (MT) or Connecticut (CT) and Colorado (CO). And even the most clever database designers cannot account for incomplete data.\n\nDrew Sullivan can be reached at (800) 845-8450, ext. 7639, or send e-mail to drew@ap.org",
  "provenance": {
    "extracted_by": "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6",
    "extracted_at": "2026-07-05",
    "verified": true
  },
  "similar": [
    {
      "slug": "1996-june-oops-uplink-update",
      "score": 0.189
    },
    {
      "slug": "1996-june-errors-can-wreck-stories",
      "score": 0.179
    },
    {
      "slug": "1998-june-paper-riches",
      "score": 0.167
    },
    {
      "slug": "1997-october-making-data-entry-easy",
      "score": 0.157
    },
    {
      "slug": "1991-november-data-entry-problems-how-do-newspapers-protect-the-integrity-of-information",
      "score": 0.156
    }
  ],
  "html_url": "https://dwillis.github.io/uplink/article/1996-june-checking-data-integrity.html",
  "json_url": "https://dwillis.github.io/uplink/article/1996-june-checking-data-integrity.json"
}