Bits, Bytes and Barks
Conference Audio Tapes
Audio tapes from the March 1998 sessions at Indiana CAR are now available for ordering from Sound Images, which can be reached at (303) 649-1811. For more information or a downloadable order form, point your browser to www.ire.org/resources/nicar/conferences/indianalaudio.html
Audio tapes from the June 1998 IRE National Conference in New Orleans are also available. For more information, point your browser to www.ire.org/reources.conferences/neworleanslaudio.html.
Campaign Finance Information Center
Campaign finance data from 13 states is freely downloadable from the CFIC at www.campaignfinance.org. We also have links to 16 online search engines hosted by other non-profits and state boards of election. We will soon release an online search engine where you can track a contributors money trail across states.
The more inclusive this database, the better for everyone. So, if you have state or local campaign data you want included, contact the CFIC coordinators, Jack Dolan (jack@nicar.org) or Cindy Eberting (cindy@nicar.org). They can also be reached at (573) 884-1802. The CFIC credits everyone who contributes data.
Other services available on the CFIC Web site include a directory of campaign finance reporters, a collection of campaign finance stories to generate story ideas, and information on joining the CFIC-L mailing list.
Moving On
Alan Levin is joining USA Today to report on aviation safety issues. Previously, he was a staff reporter at The Hartford Courant and ran the paper's CAR program. His computer-assisted work at The Hartford Courant included reports on speeders who escaped punishment in the courts, drinking water systems that repeatedly violated health standards, and felons who obtained gun permits. He also set up the paper's Intranet data search system.
If you have recently switched locales, let us know of your whereabouts. Send an email to Brent Johnson at bjohnson@nicar.org
Conferences: The Next Wave
Information on upcoming IRE and NICAR national and regional conferences is now available on the IRE Web site at www.ire.org/resources/conferences/index.html.
The National Computer-Assisted Reporting Conference, presented by IRE and NICAR along with The Boston Globe, will be held March 11-14, 1999 in Boston. The IRE National Conference, co-sponsored by The Kansas City Star and KCTV, will be held June 3-6, 1999 in Kansas City, Mo. Downloadable registration forms and other information are posted on the IRE Web site.
For information on other events - including boot camps, on-the-road training, and the IRE regional conference to be held Sept. 9-12, 1999 in Los Angeles - point your browser to www.ire.org/calendar.html