The IRE and NICAR Database Library now has Multiple Cause-of-Death Public Use (Mortality) data covering 1988-2001 and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) data covering 1972-2004.
The 2001 mortality data contains over two million death certificate records from the United States and its territories. Mortality data has generated several stories about death trends in the United States. Combined with U.S. Census data, the mortality database can help reporters investigate how the economic health of a particular area contributes to mortality and life expectancy. See www.ire.org/datalibrary/databases/health for more information.
The latest OSHA data contains over three million inspection records and is current as of January 2004. OSHA data can be used to investigate which organizations violate employee safety standards, as The New York Times and Frontline recently did in an award-winning joint investigation of the McWane Corp. See www.nicar.org/data/osha for more information about the database.
A sure bet
Ever wonder how to turn complicated stories into interesting television journalism? Do you want to learn investigative skills that keep government and business accountable? Then join some of the best journalists from around the country at the IRE Regional Conference in Las Vegas, Sept. 10-12.
Sessions include presentations taken from the Better Watchdog Workshops sponsored by IRE and the Society for Professional Journalists, in addition to several sessions for broadcast journalists. IRE and NICAR are also offering computer-assisted reporting classes on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The conference costs $50 for IRE members and $90 for nonmembers (includes $40 discounted membership). Students may attend for $25.
For more information, including hotel rates, please see www.ire.org/training/vegas04.
Campus crime
The 1990 Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act mandated all colleges report the number of crimes occurring on their campuses. But it wasn't until 2000 that these figures were centrally collected.
Senior producer Lora Johnson LeSage of WMAQ-Chicago recently enlisted NICAR data analysts to examine the data and rank Illinois universities by crime totals. WMAQ reported "the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign reported 390 arrests for alcohol-related infractions and 93 for drug offenses on or near its campus in 2002, ranking UIUC at the top among schools analyzed." The report also offers reasons for the large number of assaults on or near Northwestern University's Evanston campus.
Read the story on the Web at www.nbc5.com/education/3279237/detail.html To purchase the campus crime database from IRE and NICAR or to learn more about it, see www.ire.org/datalibrary/databases/campus.
Upcoming hands-on CAR training
IRE and NICAR have several training opportunities for journalists seeking hands-on instruction in using computer-assisted reporting.
There are four weeklong Boot Camps in Columbia, Mo., for journalists who want to learn how to acquire electronic information, use spreadsheets and databases to analyze the information and to translate that information into high-impact stories. IRE and NICAR provide follow-up help after participants return to their news organizations. The 2005 Boot Camps are Jan. 9-14, March 20-25, May 15-20 and Aug. 7-12.
Journalists interested in learning how to map data for news stories can take advantage of a mini-Boot Camp in using geographic information systems (GIS). The training, Aug. 20-22 in Columbia, will use ArcView 8.3 GIS. Participants will learn how to create basic maps, work with projections and geocode data. All participants will be eligible to purchase GIS software at discount. Additional GIS training is being planned for Washington, D.C.
Hands-on classes in basic CAR skills will be offered at some of the Better Watchdog Workshops sponsored by IRE and the Society for Professional Journalists. Two upcoming workshops with optional CAR training are Sept. 18-19 in Richmond, Va., and Nov. 6-7 in Oklahoma City.