Bits, Bytes and Barks — Uplink Archive

The Supreme Court upheld restrictions on drivers' license data access, creating varying challenges for journalists across states, while NICAR announces upcoming bootcamps and updates to its data library with improved documentation for investigative reporters.

In January, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of a 1994 law that restricts access to drivers' license data kept by the states. For journalists, this will mean continued difficulty in obtaining the records, but this varies from state to state. Some have established an "opt-out" policy that allows the release of the records to the public, except for those individuals who voluntarily choose to have their information withheld. States that don't have such a policy can't release any of the records. The Society of Professional Journalists posted a list on their Web site three years ago, listing each state's policy on the issue. However, this is out-of-date in some cases. The Web site is located at: www.spj.org/foia/drivers/drivside1.htm

Upcoming bootcamps

Now is the time to sign up for bootcamps that will be held this year. Sessions will be held May 7-12, July 16-21 and August 6-11. More information, including registration forms, costs, a typical schedule and travel and lodging options, is available at the NICAR Web site, www.nicar.org. The boot camps are held at the Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia, Mo., with hands-on training from NICAR staff members. There are minority fellowships available for bootcamps. Check out NICAR's Web site for more information. Applications can be obtained from John Green, membership coordinator, jgreen@ire.org, (573) 882-2772.

NICAR data update

Several datasets have recently been updated at the NICAR data library, including significant improvements to the documentation that is included with each dataset.

Documentation now includes references to print and broadcast stories using that data and, in some cases, tipsheets from IRE and NICAR conferences about that topic or beat. All items referenced in the documentation are available in the IRE Resource Center.

Other improvements have been made to make it easier for journalists to work with the data, including better record layouts and codesheets.

Here are the most recent datasets updated: Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA), 1992-1998. Federal Aviation Administration Enforcements, 1962 through Sept. 1999. Federal Aviation Administration Accidents and Incidents, 1973 through Dec. 1999. NTSB Investigations of Aircraft Accidents, 1985-1998. National Inventory of Dams, 1993-1998. There are four states that didn't submit new data: Delaware, Alabama, Iowa and Rhode Island. Recreational Boat Accidents, 1969-1998. Several other dataset updates will be coming soon. Stay tuned to NICAR-L for announcements.

More information about these datasets and others - including the costs - are available online at www.nicar.org/data or by calling (573) 884-7711.