Online Resources

•  Computers & Cyberspace Stylebook
•  Webmonkey / HTML: The Basics
•  Online Journalism FAQ
•  BotSpot: What's a Bot?
•  Gettingstarted.net
•  National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting
•  Newspaperlinks.com
•  Online News Association

Sample Databases

•  Census
•  Gallup Polls
•  Remembering the Lost

Legal Issues & Ethics

•  Legal Information Institute at Cornell University Law School
•  NetCourt (online transcripts)
•  CyberSpace Law Center
Hofstra University: Online Journalism

The Computer-Assisted Reporting Process

Phase I: Conception

  • The reporter generates the actual story idea.

    Phase II: Location

  • The reporter finds the appropriate data

    Phase III: Acquisition:

  • The reporter obtains the actual data

    Phase IV: Transformation

  • The reporter moves the data to a usable storage medium

    Phase V: Examination

  • The reporter uses computer programs to analyze the data

    Phase VI: Exposition

  • The reporter approaches various story angles and discusses them with his/her editorial staff

    Phase VII: Composition

  • The reporter writes the story