Comparative media legal systems

• World Press Freedom Committee (WPFC) has a book out commemorating its 25 anniversary titled, “Voices of Freedom: The story of the World Press Freedom Committee.” Contact: E. Markham Bench, executive director, embench@aol.com

• WPFC also has published, “New code words for censorship: Modern labels for curbs on the press,” an excellent little book. Contact: E. Markham Bench, executive director, embench@aol.com

• You'll want to read this speech by Pat Stith of The News & Observer, Raleigh, North Carolina, on computer-assisted reporting (CAR).

• Global Integrity Index and country reports CD from the Center for Public Integrity. A new effort to show how countries are doing related to corruption. Very detailed first effort. Has 25 countries in initial analysis. Contact: Marianne Camerer, director of global access, mcamerer@publicintegrity.org

• The World Press Freedom Committee (WPFC) has a little booklet worth getting titled, “Hiding from the people: How ‘insult’ laws restrict public scrutiny of public officials/ what can be done about it.” Contact: E. Markham Bench, executive director, embench@aol.com

Computer-assisted reporting training

Computer-assisted reporting (CAR) is one of the most useful reporting concepts for transparency reporting, and Ron Nixon, a longtime CAR trainer and the CAR editor of the Star Tribune in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, offers these Web sites for those interested in learning more about CAR or improving their skills. Ron is a member of WPI's Transparency Reporting Network.

• http://www.nicar.org
Homepage of the National Institute for Computer Assisted Reporting. The Institute provides training for journalists around the world in the use of C.A.R. The site also has tipsheets, databases and other resources for journalists learning the craft.

• http://www.ire.org
is the hompage for NICAR's parent organization, Investigative Reporters and Editors which provides training and resources for Investigative Reporters.

• http://www.powerreporting.org
Powerreporting.org is a website maintained by Pultizer Prize winner Bill Dedman. The site has thousands of links to resources on the web, including online databases, tutorials, tipsheets and teaching aides.

• http://investigacion.org.mx
The website of Centro de Periodistas de Investigaci&Mac178;n, an IRE training affiliate for journalists in Central and South America. The site maintains a list of resources for journalist who want to learn computer assisted reporting and investigative reporting. Among the resources are more the 600 articles by journalists using C.A.R. and investigative reporting.

• http://www.abraji.org.br
The Brazilian Association for Investigative Journalism. ABRAJI provides training for journalists in investigative reporting and computer assisted reporting.

• http://carincanada.ca
A website for Canadian journalists on using computer assisted reporting. The site has training aides and downloadable data from Canada.

• http://www.globalinvestigativejournalism.org
The Global Investigative Journalism Network is a coalition of jorunalism organizations from around the world dedicated to teaching investigative reporting and computer assisted reporting. The site provides links to dozens of organizations and their websites.

One of the mainstays of Web research and reporting involves downloading tabular data from the Web for local stories. This is a relatively easy skill to learn and Transparency Reporting trainers are introduced to the techniques. The computer-assisted reporting trainer for the 2006 class was Dan Browning, an investigative reporter and CAR trainer at the Star Tribune in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Click here to read his overview and to try out his examples on your own computer.

Access rules in the U.S.: state and federal

• Freedom of Information Manual. A London-based free press organization, Article 19, has produced a lengthy manual on freedom of information aimed at public officials. It’s a 91-page Adobe PDF file and there is also a 19-page trainers manual that goes with it giving explicit instructions on how to hold a seminar on freedom of information. Both are good documents and of interest to journalists and trainers for the advice given and the suggestions on how to get the ideas accepted. Moreover, the Article 19 Web site is a good site to add to your list of those to monitor regularly. Go to www.article19.org

• Two CD’s: “The First Amendment ? Keep it strong,” one a curriculum guide and teaching guide and one a newspaper print campaign for young people in high school. Contact: Illinois First Amendment Center, David Bennett, executive director, dbennett@il-press.com.

• “Open Doors” is a good primer on using the U.S. Freedom of Information Act laws. You don’t have to be a U.S. citizen to use it. Get it from the Society of Professional Journalists. Contact: spj@spj.org

New Web strategies for research

• Nora Paul, the director of the New Media Institute at the University of Minnesota's School of Journalism and Mass Communication gave two excellent presentations at the two-week Transparency Reporting seminar in June 2004. The first presentation, New Web strategies revealed, covers search strategies using the Web.

New media/convergence

• Nora Paul's second presentation to the Transparency Reporting seminar in June 2004, entitled, Media convergence: a plus or minus for the news public details how convergence among media is occuring and will continue. Nora is a member of WPI's Transparency Reporting Network.

Journalism networks in the Americas

• The Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression at the Organization of American States has useful materials related to press issues in the OAS countries. Contact: Eduardo Bertoni, special rapporteur for freedom of expression, ebertoni@aol.org

Intellectual history of the U.S. news media

The U.S. model of press freedom is different from other countries. It's a product of belief (antagonism toward government interference) and technology change. Dr. A. David Gordon, a retired professor of journalism history and ethics, annually gives Transparency Reporting trainers a brief intellectual history of the development of the U.S. free press model, and he's developed a timeline of important dates. Click here for the timeline.