Bits, Bytes and Barks
Online CAR Projects
To view a listing of links of recent computer-assisted reporting stories posted on the Web, point your Internet browser to www.ire.org/resources/conferences/training/carprojects.ht The site includes a description of the stories as well as links to IRE award winners. If you would like to see a story added to the list of links, send Jack Dolan an e-mail at jack@nicar.org
Upcoming IRE & NICAR Events
Besides the bustle of investigative journalists discussing their craft in the Big Easy this June, there's a slew of other IRE and NICAR events coming soon, including on-the-road training, seminars, regional conferences and boot camps. For a full listing, see the IRE Web site at www.ire.org/calendar.html
Database Library Additions
NICAR has recently acquired updates to several of its databases: the U.S. Coast Guard's boat registration database, the Immigration & Naturalization Service's database of naturalized citizens, the Government Services Administration's database of federal procurement contracts, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms' database of gun dealer licenses.
For a description of available databases or a downloadable order form, see the Web site at www.nicar.org/data.
Campaign Finance
The Campaign Finance Information Center continues its pursuit of acquiring campaign contribution data from as many states as possible to allow national contribution patterns to be discerned.
Downloadable data from ten states-Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin- has been added to the CFIC Web site, located at www.campaignfinance.org Comparisons can be made by joining tables between these state files. CFIC hopes to enable such comparisons to be made online once common fields are established and standardized.
Also available at the Web site are links to online databases maintained by various states themselves, though not all can be downloaded.
Direct your browser to campaignfinance.org/cficmap.html.