Computer-Assisted Reporting (CAR) and Data Journalism Fundamentals

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers the historical development, key figures, essential software tools, and foundational concepts of computer-assisted reporting (CAR) and data journalism.

Computer-assisted reporting (CAR)

A practice that concentrates on basic analysis using spreadsheets and database managers, involving the downloading or building of databases to provide context and depth to news stories.

Precision journalism

A term used before 'computer-assisted reporting' that refers to the application of social science research and statistical software in the field of journalism.

Computational journalism

A field that brings journalists and computer programmers together to understand or investigate algorithms used for news gathering or by social media companies.

International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ)

A nonprofit newsroom based in Washington D.C. known for global investigations involving big data leaks and offshore bank accounts.

Daniel Gilbert

A reporter for the Bristol (Virginia) Herald Courier who used a database investigation to uncover natural-gas royalties owed to thousands of landowners.

Elliot Jaspin

A pioneer in CAR who received recognition at The Providence Journal-Bulletin and established the institute now known as NICAR.

Philip Meyer

A pioneer in database analysis and author of the book 'Precision Journalism' who used a mainframe in 1967 to analyze a survey of Detroit residents.

Nine Track Express

A program written by Elliot Jaspin and Daniel Woods to facilitate the transfer of computer tapes to personal computers using portable tape drives.

NICAR

The National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting, a joint program of Investigative Reporters and Editors Inc. (IRE) and the Missouri School of Journalism.

Spreadsheet software

Programs like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets used in CAR for analyzing numbers, filtering, summing columns, and creating charts.

Database manager

Software such as Microsoft Access, DB Browser SQLite, or MySQL used for searching, summarizing, and joining different tables of information.

Structured Query Language (SQL)

A language used to examine data in database managers, providing a rapid and intuitive way for journalists to join tables and filter information.

GIS (Geographical Information Systems)

Mapping software such as Tableau or Arc Online used to illustrate story points by linking data to geographical locations.

Social networking software

Tools like NodeXL or Gephi that allow journalists to visually draw and analyze connections between people or organizations.

Web scraping

A technique used to automatically download individual records from the web and collate them into a structured database.

Dirty data

Incomplete or incorrect databases that contain errors and must be cleaned or corrected by a journalist before analysis.

Fields

The columns within a database manager that group similar kinds of information together.

Tables

The individual files within a database manager that can be linked or joined through keywords or identification numbers.

Minimum story

A reporting strategy focused on ensuring at least one valid, baseline story is identified within a dataset to justify the investigation.

Frank Daniels III

Former executive editor of The Raleigh News & Observer who pushed his newspaper into CAR after recognizing the computer sophistication of political campaigns in 1990.