{
  "id": "1997-september-bits-bytes-and-barks",
  "slug": "1997-september-bits-bytes-and-barks",
  "url": "https://dwillis.github.io/uplink/article/1997-september-bits-bytes-and-barks.html",
  "year": 1997,
  "month": "September",
  "monthNum": 9,
  "headline": "Bits, Bytes and Barks",
  "kicker": "",
  "author_name": "",
  "author_title": "",
  "affiliation": "NICAR",
  "summary": "NICAR is expanding its conference offerings with new seminars and specialized beat-focused sessions, while also recruiting for several open positions at IRE and NICAR. The newsletter invites reader feedback on content and highlights recent listserv discussions on investigative journalism topics.",
  "keywords": [
    "conference",
    "training",
    "journalism"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Journalism & Newsroom"
  ],
  "technologies": [
    "SQL",
    "Access",
    "GIS"
  ],
  "full_text": "Bits, Bytes and Barks\n\nConferences and Seminars\n\nNICAR is forging ahead with new seminars and new approaches to conferences and workshops. Our annual conference, March 5-8 in Indianapolis, will not only include the usual panels and hands-on classes for beginners to the advanced, but also a set of special half-day sessions that will take in depth looks at how to use electronic information for particular beats.\n\nWe also are expanding our seminars for the intermediate range. Earlier this year we did a seminar on education and statistics. In the coming months, we plan to hold seminars on database design and data cleaning, use of SQL servers for the newsroom, mapping software, and business reporting.\n\nWatch our website at www.nicar.org for dates and times.\n\nFor more information on seminars and bootcamps, call (573) 882-0684.\n\nHelp Wanted\n\nIRE and NICAR still have several positions open: Director/Trainer for Campaign Finance Information Center and Database Library Administrator for Campaign Finance Information Center, IRE Deputy Director and Database Library Administrator for NICAR.\n\nInquiries and resumes should be sent to Brant Houston, Executive Director, IRE, 138 Neff Annex, Columbia, Mo. 65211 or brant@ire.org\n\nReader Response\n\nIt's time we heard from you. We are looking to improve Uplink and want to know your ideas.\n\nAre there certain columns that you would like to add? Are there certain topics you would like covered? Have you done a story that you think should be featured in an upcoming issue? This is your chance to play armchair editor.\n\nSend comments, critiques and suggestions to Uplink's editor, Jody Sowell, at jody@nicar.org We look forward to hearing from you.\n\nNICAR Net\n\nRecent topics on the IRE and NICAR listserv have included campaign finance data, troubles with traffic accident data, ethics, medical investigation, medical investigations and Access tips.\n\nTo subscribe to IRE-L or NICAR-L, send e-mail to listproc@lists.missouri.edu\n\nIn the body of the message, type:\n\nsubscribe NICAR-L<your name>\n\nsubscribe IRE-L<your name>\n\nAlso, check out the IRE-L and NICAR-L mailing list archives on our website at http://www.ire.org and http://www.nicar.org. You can see posts to both lists organized by thread, author and date. The list archives are available in html or in plain text format.",
  "provenance": {
    "extracted_by": "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6",
    "extracted_at": "2026-07-05",
    "verified": true
  },
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      "score": 0.454
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  "html_url": "https://dwillis.github.io/uplink/article/1997-september-bits-bytes-and-barks.html",
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