How to Scrape Websites for Data without Programming Skills. Searching for data to back up your story?
Just Google it, verify the accuracy of the source, and you’re done, right? Not quite. Accessing information to support our reporting is easier than ever, but very little information comes in a structured form that lends itself to easy analysis. You may be fortunate enough to receive a spreadsheet from your local public health agency. But more often, you’re faced with lists or tables that aren’t so easily manipulated.
It’s not enough to copy those numbers into a story; what differentiates reporters from consumers is our ability to analyze data and spot trends. It often takes a lot of time and effort to produce programs that extract the information, so this is a specialty. Enter OutWit Hub, a downloadable Firefox extension that allows you to point and click your way through different options to extract information from Web pages. How to use OutWit Hub When you fire it up, there will be a few simple options along the left sidebar. Powerbag, the Ultimate Survival Gear for the Digital Age, Gets Carried Away at CES.
American University School of Communication. Minimum Camera and Computer Suggestions for Backpack Journalists Below is a list of suggestions, or parameters, regarding equipment one needs to learn and to practice the craft of backpack journalism.
These are only suggestions. What’s important here is that the tools one selects work in conjunction with each other, and that the practitioner can make these tools capture what he/she sees and hears. One doesn't need the latest, best camera, or the most expensive computer, or the most comprehensive version of Final Cut Pro. Tools are only part of the craft. We recommend hand-held digital cameras with manual controls for shutter speed, aperture and focus. For best results, we recommend using a “boom” microphone mounted atop the camera, as well as a wireless microphone that is placed on the character that's being followed or in the immediate vicinity of a conversation that one wants to record.
We use tripods on a limited basis. Is “backpack journalism” really worth it? Equipment. The Equipment Package: The Basic Tools of Backpack Journalism As a backpack journalist in the digital age, the options for getting equipment is stupendous—too many to even decipher. What does a professional journalist need to get good video and good audio? To help in the variety of choices, I’ll examine the kinds of equipment a video journalist needs on the publisher’s website, based on 2011 budget categories: Working on a budget (least expensive, but adequate equipment), getting the goods (good cameras, but a bit more pricey), and the best (when funds are not so limited). The equipment listed in each category is not exhaustive, and is chosen based on budget and portability—I will not be recommending any large broadcast journalism cameras that sit on your shoulder, for example.
But in each case, I’ll be looking at the features needed to get the story right. This chapter will cover some of the basic reasons why you need certain equipment and how to set up a light travel package. Top 10 Essential Gear for Freelance Journalists, Writers and Bloggers. Every established, aspiring or wannabe journalist/writer/blogger has a bag of essential gear that they depend on. It’s all digital these days you need to be connected, you need to be able to write, edit, shoot your own stuff and upload it on the go. Not to forget those moments when you decide to go all retro analogue and use a notepad and pen.
To pack it all up also need a nice, protective and stylish bag to shove everything in – and a jacket with enough pockets to store all those gadgets and notes. Here are our picks for The Freelance Journalist / Writer / Blogger. 10. . – A simple and cute look for something you can’t live without. 9. 7. . – The age old classic notepad, you gotta have one of these. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. . – Turn your iPhone into a professional recorder. 1. [ad#post-ad] Related posts: "Journalism in the digital age: trends, tools and technologies" It used to be incredibly expensive to publish a story and make it available to a mass audience.
In the centre of Rome, for example, is the Colonna Traiana. Built by the Roman Senate to celebrate the achievements of Emperor Trajan, it can be argued that it was the equivalent of the council newspaper today - an expensive propaganda tool, telling the story of events in the way that the state ordered them to be portrayed. Several hundred years later, the time consuming and costly business of transcribing documents by hand was how news was reported and preserved. The production, transmission and survival of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle relied on the knowledge of writing being passed down through the Church. The printing press broke the monopoly of the scribes, and it was William Caxton who first introduced printing to these islands. There is something very important to note about Caxton's output in this picture though. A new reach A new speed New voices New digital ethics.