Part Five: Applying
the Techniques

Chapter 18 - Beat Reporting

• "Online on the Beat" - Free Press tips
• Articles on beat reporting from the Providence Journal
• Sports columnist Mitch Albom -- On making your writing better

Source sites

• A Journalist's Guide to the Internet - comprehensive directory of indispensible sources by Christopher Callahan, associate dean of journalism at the University of Maryland
• Power Reporting - a comprehensive list of links to sources for journalists by journalist and newsroom trainer Bill Dedman
• Journalismnet - a global source of links for journalists
• Reporter's Desktop, good source of search engines and journalism sites by Duff Wilson, a Seattle Times reporter
• IRE's Beat Resource Guide- resources for beat journalists from the IRE - Investigative Reporters and Editors
• Facsnet
• The Reporters Network
• Criminal Justice Journalists
• Society of Environmental Journalists
• Education Writers Association
• Journalism discussion groups
• Betterwhois (nongovernmental sites)

Beat organizations

• Education Writers Association
• Society of American Business Writers and Editors
• Society of Environmental Journalists
• National Association of Science Writers
• Religion Newswriters Association
• Northern California Science Writers Association
• American Medical Writers Association

• "Writing lively obits"
• Making obits anything but routine - advice from Providence Journal-Bulletin
• "Using the Internet for Advance Obits" - advice from TV journalist Howard Esse
• Sunline memory page (where readers may write their own obituaries or tributes to a loved one who died. (Many of the tributes are very poignant.)
• Legacy.com - a site with searchable obits from more than 1,000 newspapers
• Obits.com (great source for feature obits of famous people, public figures and a searchable database by alphabet.
• The Obituary Page
• Ancestry.com
• Information Please Obituary Page (Search for obituaries in this almanac)
• The Obituary Daily Times (copies of obituaries published daily)
• The Internet Obituary Network - searchable obits of public figures and others plus links to obituaries in major newspapers
• Guiding Principles for the Journalist - Poynter - Poynter Institute (to help with ethics dilemma)
• Cyber-Seuss
• The Ultimate Dr. Seuss Page
• Jim Henson Co. Web site

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Chapter 20 - Speeches, Press Conferences and Meetings

• White House Electronic Publications  (text and audio of presidential speeches and press releases)
• History Channel speeches
• Gifts of Speech (women's speeches from around the world) 
• Speech and Transcript Center - George Washington University (large collection from George Washington University)
• The History Place - great speeches
• Pew Center for Global Climate Change - text of speeches about this issue
  
• CNN Olympic Park Bombing site (news stories, audio and video related to the press conference exercise)
• The infamous Kurt Vonnegut graduation speech (This was spoof in a column written by Chicago Tribune columnist Mary Schmich, but the story was spread around the world by e-mail and attributed to Vonnegut.)
• Press Conferences - View Webcasts from the U.S. Census Bureau

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Chapter 21 - Government and Statistical Stories

Many of the sources for government reporting are listed above in Ch. 19 beat reporting and in Ch 6. Here are other good starting places:

Interactive exercise

City Council - an interactive exercise in covering a meeting by Rich Cameron of Cerritos College

Sources

• Firstgov - comprehensive source for links to U.S. government. A very good starting place.
• Fedstats - the best source for links to statistical reports for U.S. federal agencies and related non-governmental organizations.
• Fedworld - another comprehensive site with links to federal agencies.
• U.S. Census Bureau - great site with tips for stories, statistics and news releases
• Federal Elections Commission - searchable database of campaign finance reports for congressional candidates from each state.
• Thomas legislative information - status of congressional bills and reports from the Library of Congress
• Opensecrets.org - guide to checking campaign contributions and other money in elections
• Follow the money - excellent guide to checking campaign contributions for state officials
• Search systems - great guide to state resources by Pacific Information Resources
• Statistics every writer should know - excellent site for explaining numbers by Robert Niles, L.A. Times reporter
• Yahoo government page - links to U.S., states and governments in other countries.
• Facsnet sources page
• "Oh no, it's a number" - Detroit Free Press column on advice for writing about numbers
• Twenty tips for writing about numbers - advice from Providence Journal.
• Writing better budget stories -- more advice from the Providence Journal
• How to make technical and legalistic stories come to life - Poynter - advice from San Francisco Chronicle legal writer Harriet Chiang

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Chapter 22 - Crime and Punishment

• Security on Campus - a comprehensive site for information about crimes at colleges and universities
• "Finding People on the Internet" (a search for a suspect)

Chapter 23 - Disasters, Weather and Tragedies

World Trade Center tragedy - related readings and sources

• Resources from the Poynter Institute (huge collection!)
• Can covering the news be unpatriotic?
• Whose side are you on, Courant?
• "What we knew: Warning given...Story missed"
• Philosophers speak out about War, Terrorism and Peace
• The Pew Research Center (Terrorism coverage boosts news' media image)

Other resources for disasters and tragedy

• Oklahoma City National Memorial
• Natural Hazards Center
• Disaster Relief
• American Red Cross
• Federal Emergency Management Agency
• weather.com
• National Hurricane Center
• Storm Prediction Center
• The TV Rundown (How television covers a plane crash)
• Yahoo's disaster list
• The Tornado Project
• National Earthquake Information Center
• National Transportation Safety Board
• Federal Aviation Administration
• Griefnet
• Yahoo's bereavement resources
• Infoplease.com - online almanac for checking worst crashes, weather and so on.

Chapter 24 - Profiles

Exercise 6:
Academy of Achievement profiles - Click on the Hall of Public Service and link to the biographies and interviews of Charles Kuralt, Rosa Parks, Larry King or other famous people.

• How to get people into profiles - article by writing coach Don Fry
• "Newspaper profiles: No pat answers," good advice from a Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist
• Hearts and Guts: Writing the personal profile - excellent advice from Detroit Free Press writer and coach Susan Ager
• "Story structure makes the profile" - Providence Journal tips
• "Why this story now?" - More from the Providence Journal
• Biography.com - biographical sketches of celebrities
• Robert de Niro in Biography .com
• People finding on the Net - from online research expert Nora Paul
• The Stalkers Home Page - more finding people on the Net

Chapter 25 - Computer-assisted Journalism

• Computer-assisted resource file - from the Poynter Institute
• Finding data online - good resource from Robert Niles, Los Angeles Times reporter
• Statistics Every Writer Should Know - excellent site for understanding how to analyze data and math from Robert Niles
• Computer-assisted reporting tips, databases and stories - from Investigative Reporters and Editors (ire.org)
• Spreadsheet Tips - from The Journalist's Toolbox by Mike Reilly, former America Online editor. Contains links to sites with tips.
• 28 Ways Sports Journalists can use CAR and the Internet
• Firstgov - a portal to government agencies and data

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• Jobspage - should be your first stop. Outstanding site includes complete toolkit for writing resumes, cover letters, finding jobs and tips from Detroit Free Press recruiter Joe Grimm.
• Journalism Jobs - comprehensive, searchable listings in newspapers, magazines, broadcast and online and ability to post resumes.
• Careers in Journalism - advice and thorough internship listings from the American Society of Newspaper editors (plus state press association job listings)
• Editor and Publisher job listings - editorial, advertising and marketing jobs, mainly in newspapers
• Public Relations Career Resources - job listings for all states from the Public Relations Society of America
• National Diversity Newspaper Job Bank
• ACP jobs - complete directory from Associated Collegiate Press for finding jobs and posting resumes.
• Creating text-based resumes (for e-mailing)
• Tips for TV News Interns
• TVspy.com - news and job listings in TV
• News job search - searchable database for broadcast news jobs
• Job Searching for college grads (from About.com)
• Planetmedia - job listings in media fields
• Advertising Jobs - from the American Association of Advertising Agencies
• Advertising Age job bank
• College Grad Job Hunter - good general site for entry-level jobs with tips for cover letters, resumes and job listings
• College Recruiter - offers career advice, job postings, internships or part-time jobs and ability to post resumes.
• Jobweb - offers salary comparisons, job search and career advice.