1 analytic journalism and decoding the political race(s) "newspapers are a 'morning...

1

Analytic Journalism and Decoding the Political Race(s)

"Newspapers are a 'morning line' tip sheet.

Tom JohnsonInstitute for Analytic JournalismSanta Fe, New Mexico“Three Tuesdays @ SF Complex”Tuesday, 30 Sept. 2008

2 AJ and Decoding the Political Race(s) © J.T.Johnson 2008_________________________Fall 2008

Analytic Journalism?

Analytic Journalism: Uses a variety of qualitative and

quantitative tools and methods to measure the status & change of phenomena, primarily those involving people and their environment and context.

Results of measures and analysis drive creation and telling of news.


Example: Bill Dedman’s “Analytic Journalism and Campaign Contributions”

Illustrates basic “theory of AJ process” Data In Analysis Information Out


IAJ Cornerstones

General Systems Theory Complex Adaptive Systems

Statistics Visual Statistics/Infographics Simulation Modeling


IAJ Activities

Introducing journalists to arithmetic Research “new” disciplines and

methods for journalists to use Research the impact of the Digital

Revolution on journalism Always work globally


Candidates Use the Internet

Web site Fund raising Email Online ads Webcasts of events Blogs and podcasts Take polls and

surveys Communicate with

press

Television ads on the official site

Campaign web video on other sites

Participate in social networking sites

Opposition research Manage field

operations Text messaging


Data In

Data In - Interviews

- Documents- Previous stories- Photos- Maps- Infographics- Quantitative Data


Analysis

Data In

Analysis- Make outlines- Hand-drawn flowcharts- Rough drafts- Minimal arithmetic


Data Out

Data In - Interviews

- Documents- Previous stories- Photos- Maps- Infographics- Quantitative Data


Voters Use the Internet

Find out about all candidates and issues Contribute to candidates Organize for and against candidates and

issues Tell their friends/family about political

issues Post their own opinions in blogs Post video and audio related to candidates Rate posted videos Create their own sites Use social network sites


Objectives:

Don’t tell me what you feel, show me what you know!

Data-driven analysis and argument Tools/skills to find the data. And

then find it again. Tools to get the data off the web

page and into… Analytic tools to help make sense of

the data.


Objectives:

1st Tuesday, 30 Sept. 2008"Newspapers are a 'morning line' tip sheet.” Holistic journalism. No, it’s not “All

about story.” DATA, not opinions. Online sites with

demographic & political data. Where do good DATA-driven stories come

from? Sophisticated bookmarks


Objectives:

2nd Tuesday, 7 Oct. 2008 "How to track the data's flow upstream.“ Who’s behind those sites, anyway? What’s in online data bases and how did

that data get there? How good, i.e. clean, is the data?

1st Tuesday, 30 Sept. 2008 "Newspapers are a 'morning line' tip sheet.”


Objectives:

1st Tuesday, 30 Sept. 2008"Newspapers are a 'morning line' tip sheet.”

2nd Tuesday, 7 Oct. 2008 "How to track the data's flow upstream.“

3nd Tuesday, 7 Oct. 2008“How to make sense of those numbers?“ More on getting the data off the web

PDFs, CSV & importing and exporting Simple arithmetic and simple

spreadsheet tips


What we’re aiming for today

Major changes in datasphere Open Source Web 2.0 (aka “Cloud Computing”)

Effective search-and-keep tools Refining and refined search engines

(Hot Tip: Google ain’t the answer.)

Look at some non-text-only web sites Enrich your research Bring new levels of truth, detail, verisimilitude

to your writing


What’s going on in the “datasphere”?

Open Source People writing applications, add-ons,

widgets for FREE Web 2.0

Applications moving from your computer hard drive to cyberspace Places more “intellectual” demands on the

browser and browser extensions/add-ons Broadband demand loads

Be careful in cyberspace! http://www.techcrunch.com/tag/deadpool/


What all this means to writers

Datasphere is constantly changing Need tools to navigate

constantly changing datasphere We can be better at what we do if we

constantly adapt to those changes

Data In Analysis Info Out


How to navigate cyberspace?

#1 tool set: pencil and paper Current - and updated - browsers

On how many of your computers? Do you need portability? (USB drives)

Bookmark and note-keeping apps Sophisticated, flexible search

engines “Invisible web” resources

What’s behind the closed digital doors?


Alternative Web Browsers

Major Browsers: Firefox, Opera, Safari

More Cross-Platform Browsers: Mozilla and Flock

Windows Browsers: K-Meleon Macintosh Browsers: Camino,

OmniWeb and iCab Linux Browsers: Konqueror, Galeon

and Epiphany

http://www.alternativebrowseralliance.com/browsers.html#cross

http://www.alternativebrowseralliance.com/browsers.html#cross2

http://www.alternativebrowseralliance.com/browsers.html#windows

http://www.alternativebrowseralliance.com/browsers.html#mac

http://www.alternativebrowseralliance.com/browsers.html#linux


All of these ALT browsers feature:

Tabbed browsing; automatic updates Modern web pages with HTML, CSS, SSL,

and JavaScript Cookies and cookie management Plugins and Java Ad blocking and/or pop-up blocking Download Managers Integrated Search Favorites/Bookmarks and import (and

export)


Effective search-and-keep tools

Establish your criteria Are tools browser specific or generic? Bookmarks on YOUR hard drive and/or in

the digital cloud Degree of control Make folders and sub-folders Annotate Add tag words Import/export entries E-mail full or partial set of bookmarks


Finding bookmark utilities

Google Search words: [+free +bookmark +programs]

Surfpack http://freebookmark.surfpack.com/ (scroll

down to see list)

Tucows (keyword: "bookmark") Windows has 235 hits. Mac has 26

http://www.google.com/

http://freebookmark.surfpack.com/






http://www.tucows.com/


Evaluation sites and tools

Search Engine Directoryhttp://www.searchengineguide.com/searchengines.html

Social Bookmarking Social Bookmarking Faceoff -- http://www.

readwriteweb.com/archives/social_bookmarking_faceoff.php

http://www.searchengineguide.com/searchengines.html





http://3spots.blogspot.com/2006/04/why-social-bookmark.html

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/social_bookmarking_faceoff.php






Some major Bookmark tools

FireFox’s Bookmarks Only fair in capture (i.e. difficult to annotate).

Good organization after capture: “Organize Bookmarks” Good export. Install “FoxMarks” extension to synch multiple computers.

Scrapbook (Firefox add-on) Pros: Save Web pages or parts of. Major features

are: Save Web site hotlinks and other file format documents (i.e. PDF); Organize the collection in the same way as Bookmarks; Full text search and quick filtering search of the collection. Good highlight and annotation tools. Cons: can’t synch to online or other computers. Difficult to tag and save in multi-folders.

http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/

http://my.foxmarks.com/

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/427



Furl.net Opens Java window sometimes slowly. Good

annotation and tagging. Private or shared links. “Save and e-mail” feature.

del.icio.us Allows access to the same bookmarks from

any computer; add bookmarks from anywhere. Use tags (i.e. keywords) to organize and remember your bookmarks, which is a much more flexible system than folders. [Well, maybe.]

http://www.furl.net/



Diigo.comTJ’s current favorite

Zotero.orgStrong tool for building bibliographies. Only works with Firefox.


Note-taking tools

Criteria? Just one desktop or multiple? Browser accessible? Synchronization? Export to ????

Backup storage flashdrive, HD or web “locker”?

E-mail to yourself or others? Receive notes sent via phone - text or

pics? “Search within” functions?


Social bookmarks jumpstation

3spots bloghttp://3spots.blogspot.com/2006/01/all-social-that-can-bookmark.html - annotation

Here are over 200 social bookmarking services! Then see here to see over 300 digg clones!

Digg tools = Social web applications with an UP-YES or UP/DOWN-YES/NO voting system.

http://3spots.blogspot.com/2006/01/all-social-that-can-bookmark.html#annotation

http://3spots.blogspot.com/2006/01/all-social-that-can-bookmark.html#annotation

http://3spots.blogspot.com/2006/04/all-digg-style-applications-list.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_system


Major note-taking tools

Google Notebook for Firefox/IE Web-based Organize your notes.

Keep notes organized by creating multiple notebooks or divide a single notebook into sections. Rearrange notes by dragging-and-dropping from one section or notebook to another.

Add your own thoughts.Click the "New note" button; start typing to add text notes to your notebook, or click the "Add comment" link within a note to add comments to clippings you've collected.

Search the full text of your notebooks.Easily find any information in your notebooks using the search box at the top of the page.

http://www.google.com/googlenotebook/tour1.html


Major note-taking tools

Jot+Notes www.kingstairs.com/jot/jot4writers.html Many rich and customizable features, but only on YOUR

desktop. (Has good export tools.) Has a plugin for Google Desktop Search which will

include Jot+ Notes notefiles in your search results.

Evernote - http://evernote.com/about/what_is_en/ Check it out, but it’s just in “beta” Let me know if you

want an invitation. Looks promising, but we’ll see.

http://www.kingstairs.com/jot/jot4writers.html

http://www.kingstairs.com/jot/google.html

http://www.kingstairs.com/jot/google.html

http://evernote.com/about/what_is_en/




First lesson of online research!

Have a web-search strategy UCB “Five-Step Search Strategy”

http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Strategies.html

Understand how the search engine(s) work Google: Always begin at “Advanced

Search” and “Advanced Search Tips” YahooMore”All Search Services” Ask.com Advanced Search Tips









Smart searching

Always begin by reading Search Engine Tips/Help/Advanced…

Google.com


The Deep - “Invisible” - Web #1

Deep Web Research 2008http://www.llrx.com/features/deepweb2008.htmMarcus P. Zillman: “The Deep Web covers [approx.] 900 billion pages of information located through the world wide web in various files and formats that the current search engines on the Internet either cannot find or have difficulty accessing. Search engines currently locate approximately 20 billion pages. “This article and guide is designed to give you the resources you need to better understand the history of the deep web research, as well as various classified resources that allow you to search through the currently available web to find those key sources of information nuggets only found by understanding how to search the "deep web".

http://www.llrx.com/features/deepweb2008.htm


Navigating the “InvisibleWeb”

Start with reference librarians UC Berkeley Library’s excellent site

www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/InvisibleWeb.html Note search examples for Google and Yahoo keywords

http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/InvisibleWeb.html

http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/InvisibleWeb.html


Prime sites for text research

The New York Times Archive (1851-

Story on Mokelumne Hill “A California Story”

Historical Newspaper and Magazine databases

Internet library of Early Journalshttp://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/ilej/

Nineteenth Century in Printhttp://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpcoop/moahtml/snchome.html

http://www.nytimes.com/ref/membercenter/nytarchive.html

http://query.nytimes.com/search/query?frow=0&n=10&srcht=s&daterange=period&query=Mokelumne+Hill&srchst=p&submit.x=0&submit.y=0&submit=sub&hdlquery=&bylquery=&mon1=09&day1=18&year1=1851&mon2=12&day2=31&year2=1980



http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9A03E0D8123EE43BBC4F51DFB467838F669FDE&oref=slogin

http://wikis.ala.org/godort/index.php/Historical_Newspaper_and_Magazine

http://wikis.ala.org/godort/index.php/Historical_Newspaper_and_Magazine

http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/ilej/







http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpcoop/moahtml/snchome.html












Prime sites for text research

U.S. News Archives on the Webhttp://www.ibiblio.org/slanews/internet/archives.html

International News Archives on the Webhttp://www.ibiblio.org/slanews/internet/intarchives.htm

British Library Newspapershttp://www.bl.uk/collections/newspapers.html

Newspapers Around the World on the Internethttp://www.bl.uk/collections/world.html

http://www.ibiblio.org/slanews/internet/archives.html





http://www.ibiblio.org/slanews/internet/intarchives.htm








http://www.bl.uk/collections/newspapers.html



http://www.bl.uk/collections/world.html




Newspaper Archives

NewspaperArchive.com $$$http://www.newspaperarchive.com/

PaperOfRecord.comGlobal pioneer of searchable newspaper image documents presented in their original published form.http://www.paperofrecord.com/

ICON: International Coalition on Newspapers

http://icon.crl.edu/digitization.htm

Wikipedia: List of online newspaper archiveshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newspaper_archives_online

http://www.newspaperarchive.com/



http://www.paperofrecord.com/

http://icon.crl.edu/index.php







http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newspaper_archives_online




Book: “Newspaper Archive Resources”


Prime sites for image research

Library of Congress “American Memory”http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html

LoC maps and bird’s eye viewshttp://tinyurl.com/5cfmec

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html






Teasing meaning from images

Timeline of Art HistoryPhotos of Édouard Baldus https://metropolitanmuseum.org/toah/hd/bald/ho_1994.137.htm#

San Francisco c.1855http://sanfran1855.notlong.com/ http://sfomontgomeryblock.notlong.com/

https://metropolitanmuseum.org/toah/hd/bald/ho_1994.137.htm

https://metropolitanmuseum.org/toah/hd/bald/ho_1994.137.htm

http://sanfran1855.notlong.com/

http://sfomontgomeryblock.notlong.com/






Online geography

Google Mapswww.google.com/maps Street map, street level photos of some cities, aerial

photo, topography

Google Earthhttp://earth.google.com/ Fly anywhere on Earth to view satellite imagery, maps,

terrain, 3D buildings and even explore galaxies in the Sky. Need to download program.

Maplandiahttp://www.maplandia.com/


Online Geography

“Amateur" historians Santa Fe Trail Research -

http://www.santafetrailresearch.com/ Aerial photo links for most of the

major sites and trail ruts on the Santa Fe Trailhttp://www.santafetrailresearch.com/spacepix/0ur-space-link-page.html


Quick summary

Major changes in datasphere Open Source Web 2.0 (aka “Cloud Computing”)

Effective search-and-keep tools Refining and refined search engines

(Hot Tip: Google ain’t the answer.)

Look at some text and non-text web sites Enrich your research Bring new levels of truth, detail, verisimilitude

to your writing

44

2008 Gold Rush Writer's ConferenceMokelumne Hill, Calif.May 2-4, 2008

Discovering The World From Your Laptop

Tom JohnsonInstitute for Analytic JournalismSanta Fe, New Mexico


Go2Web20.net

http://www.go2web20.net/


Search Engine Guidehttp://www.searchengineguide.com/searchengines.html







Search Engine Guide #2-News/Media Search Engines


Google Earth – San Francisco


Google Earth – 1495 Sutter St


Review

Data In Analysis Info Out Think about process & forms of data

plus methods

Need for new tools Browsing Book-marking Note-taking Smart search strategies


For next week – 7 Oct.

Go to workshop wiki - http://ajandpolraces.pbwiki.com

“Interrogate” the sub-pages, their links and the data in those links.

List 5 story ideas - based on the data – that could be done

Find 5 “vested interested” sites that have data pertaining to political campaigns.