{
  "id": "1998-april-bits-bytes-and-barks",
  "slug": "1998-april-bits-bytes-and-barks",
  "url": "https://dwillis.github.io/uplink/article/1998-april-bits-bytes-and-barks.html",
  "year": 1998,
  "month": "April",
  "monthNum": 4,
  "headline": "Bits, Bytes and Barks",
  "kicker": "",
  "author_name": "",
  "author_title": "",
  "affiliation": "",
  "summary": "This newsletter announces updates to computer-assisted reporting resources, including new CAR project listings, upcoming IRE and NICAR training events, recently acquired databases for investigative journalism, and expanded campaign finance data from multiple states.",
  "keywords": [
    "journalism",
    "databases",
    "training"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Investigative Methods",
    "Journalism & Newsroom",
    "Data & Databases"
  ],
  "technologies": [
    "Internet",
    "World Wide Web"
  ],
  "full_text": "Bits, Bytes and Barks\n\nOnline CAR Projects\n\nTo 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\n\nUpcoming IRE & NICAR Events\n\nBesides 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\n\nDatabase Library Additions\n\nNICAR 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.\n\nFor a description of available databases or a downloadable order form, see the Web site at www.nicar.org/data.\n\nCampaign Finance\n\nThe 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.\n\nDownloadable 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.\n\nAlso available at the Web site are links to online databases maintained by various states themselves, though not all can be downloaded.\n\nDirect your browser to campaignfinance.org/cficmap.html.",
  "provenance": {
    "extracted_by": "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6",
    "extracted_at": "2026-07-05",
    "verified": true
  },
  "similar": [
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      "slug": "1999-september-bits-bytes-and-barks",
      "score": 0.432
    },
    {
      "slug": "1998-march-bits-bytes-and-barks",
      "score": 0.404
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    {
      "slug": "1997-decemberjanuary-bits-bytes-and-barks",
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  ],
  "html_url": "https://dwillis.github.io/uplink/article/1998-april-bits-bytes-and-barks.html",
  "json_url": "https://dwillis.github.io/uplink/article/1998-april-bits-bytes-and-barks.json"
}