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NewspaperShift
Can Programmers, Journalists Get Along in One Newsroom?
One of the explanations for the emergence of the programmer/journalist is the move of news organizations from print (or radio or TV) to the web. While some newspapers have gone online-only, and many are still trying to move to a "web-first" mindset, there are still newsrooms that view the web as a secondary medium. I remember when every step forward...
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In Search of the Perfect Skillset for a Programmer/Journalist
In my first post about programmer/journalists, I wrote about the "how computer-assisted reporting (CAR) evolved into this new role. Although not all programmer/journalists started with CAR, that skillset is still the basis for any programmer/journalist. CAR skills start with obtaining data and public records. Knowing where to find this information, either online or by request, is the starting point for...
more »Digging Deeper
Web Focus Leads Newspapers to Hire Programmers for Editorial Staff
Whenever journalist-programmer extraordinaire Adrian Holovaty speaks at a conference, newspaper executives approach him to ask, "Where can we find another person like you?" Unfortunately, not a lot of people combine journalism with computer programming to create mash-ups like Holovaty's seminal side project, ChicagoCrime.org, which feeds the city's crime blotter into a searchable online database and onto Google Maps. Holovaty...
more »Philosophy
The Revolution Will Not Be Advertised
It's a hot, muggy day in the Not-So-Deep South, unusual for the winter time. They're packed in to the rafters at the First Community Gospel Church of Interdenominational Mumbo-Jumbo. After a few opening hymns, a hush goes over the congregation, as mothers sternly "shush" their squirming children, while waving fans rapidly to keep the sweat off their faces. The...
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