The 2006 Computer-Assisted Report- ing Conference in Newark, N.J., is just around the corner - March 9-12 - and will offer more than 50 sessions and two-and-a-half days of intense hands- on training. While neither Bruce Springsteen nor the Sopranos will be in attendance (our host The Star-Ledger is, however, the paper of record for the Sopranos) this confer- ence will spin out plenty of hot tracks on CAR methods and stories, a variety of hands-on classes from beginners to advanced, and special presentations of the latest techniques.
(See www.ire.org/ training/newark06) As in recent years, this year's pro- gram.gets the CAR engines ignited on Thursday, focusing on the needs of the advanced CAR practitioner. Sessions will range from better intranets to Web scraping to the latest in mapping data and social network analysis. The day's speakers are top-of-the-chart profes- sionals who are generous in sharing their knowledge. The main conference will be packed with panels on criminal justice, money and politics, bulletproofing stories, social re- search methods and many other topics.
The panelists will show how computer- assisted reporting helps in every beat and on a daily and weekly basis. We will have sessions that deal with every medium. A highlight will be the presentation of the first Philip Meyer Awards for excellent work in using social science methods in journalism. Meyer, a pioneer in the field, will join us at the ceremony and reception. Our hands-on classes will include us- ing the Internet effectively, working with spreadsheets and database managers, mapping, programming, statistics and social network analysis.
In addition, there will be a special mini- boot camp: a series of panel sessions each morning, then classes throughout the afternoon. Designed for CAR begin- ners, the classes are similar to sessions conducted during lengthier boot camps at the IRE and NICAR headquarters. The classes begin with basic spread- sheet calculations and work through using CAR techniques for investigative projects or deadline stories.
It's strongly recommended that confer- ence registrants sign up for classes before the conference begins, available through IRE's online registration pro- cess. You can start here at www.ire.org/ training/newark06 and follow the link for registration. Attendees also can register for classes on site by visiting staff mem- bers in the Demo Room area. The Demo Room, too, will be a hub of activity and will feature special sessions on uses of new software and techniques for news stories.
The sessions have an informal approach and often turn into freewheeling discussions among par- ticipants. You also can road test IRE and NICAR services and data from our ever growing government database collection. Staffers will be on hand to an- swer questions and make suggestions about how to better use CAR. This conference also will help all at- tendees at every level to become bet- ter journalists and leaders in the use of new technology and reporting methods in their newsrooms.
Be sure to take advantage of this great network of col- leagues, whether in the panel rooms, the demo room or in the informal meetings in the hallways, coffee shop or bars.