Computer Assisted Journalism is the use of computers for gathering of data and information.
This data and information can be used to, generate story ideas and existing story content (research / investigate journalism). Also helpful in finding people to interview.
The web is a service that runs on the internet network topology.
The web is not a lawless frontier - there have been some monumental lawsuits resulting from online defamation.
There have also been major problems with breaches of sub judicial contempt on the web.
Something that may be legally safe to publish in one jurisdiction may be fraught with danger legally in another - for example, the Gutnick defamation case.
Don't make a fool of yourself
'Lifting' information you find online is highly dangerous - questions about ethics and plagiarism aside, fines for breach of copyright can be up to about $60, 000 for an individual and $300, 000 for a company.
It is as important to check your facts in the online world as it is in the real world.
Do not take online information at face value unless it is from a totally trustworthy site.
If you are tricked by a hoax, it could be the end of your career.
Verifying what your find online
A good way to find background information. You have to be an insider, a student with access via a university library. You can expect to pay upwards of $1.75 per article downloaded when searching News Limited or Fairfax papers.
One such news archive is www.newstext.com.au.
Tips for web searching
There is more to the web than Google, Think carefully about the search terms, use advanced searches, make a habit of Boolean searching, Use meta-search engines.
Searching the hidden web can reveal - original documents, documents which were prepared or created in the past but which are no longer generally available. Photographs and recordings as well as written information. Court documents, government documents.
Use resources designed for Journalists - http://www.journoz.com, Computer Assisted Reporting.
This data and information can be used to, generate story ideas and existing story content (research / investigate journalism). Also helpful in finding people to interview.
What is Computer-Assisted
Reporting (CAR)?
At a basic level, it
is something most journalists do today – use computers to help find information
for stories.
At a more complex
level, it is finding information many people do not know exists.
It is also about
researching online without being fooled by false information.
It is about
interpreting statistics.
What CAR is not
Car is about online
news gathering and research (or input) – it is not about online publishing. It’s
about the input.
Levels of CAR
At its shallowest
level CAR is about going online to check a fact, find a phone number, or
contact someone by email.
And its most complex
level, it requires journalists to ‘dig’ for information to inform stories by
using computers to analyae complex databases and statistics.
The web is a service that runs on the internet network topology.
The web is not a lawless frontier - there have been some monumental lawsuits resulting from online defamation.
There have also been major problems with breaches of sub judicial contempt on the web.
Something that may be legally safe to publish in one jurisdiction may be fraught with danger legally in another - for example, the Gutnick defamation case.
Don't make a fool of yourself
'Lifting' information you find online is highly dangerous - questions about ethics and plagiarism aside, fines for breach of copyright can be up to about $60, 000 for an individual and $300, 000 for a company.
It is as important to check your facts in the online world as it is in the real world.
Do not take online information at face value unless it is from a totally trustworthy site.
If you are tricked by a hoax, it could be the end of your career.
Verifying what your find online
- Look at the address of the website.
- Ask who put the information online?
- Is the author mentioned on the website?
- Does the website have contact details?
- Is there a street address as well as an email address?
- Does the author have the authority to be saying that they have put online?
- Read the content - Is it plausible or does something seem wrong with the content or how it is written?
- Is there a street address and a fixed-line telephone number?
A good way to find background information. You have to be an insider, a student with access via a university library. You can expect to pay upwards of $1.75 per article downloaded when searching News Limited or Fairfax papers.
One such news archive is www.newstext.com.au.
Tips for web searching
There is more to the web than Google, Think carefully about the search terms, use advanced searches, make a habit of Boolean searching, Use meta-search engines.
Searching the hidden web can reveal - original documents, documents which were prepared or created in the past but which are no longer generally available. Photographs and recordings as well as written information. Court documents, government documents.
Use resources designed for Journalists - http://www.journoz.com, Computer Assisted Reporting.
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