Computer-Assisted Reporting Research Articles

Tools Daily Newspapers Use in Computer-Assisted Reporting

Two-thirds of newspapers engage in computer-assisted reporting and most of those use IBM-compatible hardware and software.

Problems of Introducing Courses in Computer-Assisted Reporting

Joel J. Smith, investigative reporter for the Detroit News, used a computer to compare the Michigan Department of Corrections database of over one-half million convicted criminals with the state's education department database of 100,000 teachers and bus drivers. He discovered there were nearly 200 convicted felons in Michigan's classrooms and another 200 driving buses. The charges included murder and child molestation. The Department of Education admitted negligence in checking applicants' records, and the state quickly passed a statute requiring criminal checks on all teachers and drivers.(1) There is little question that Journalists with database computer skills, such as Smith, are in demand. Noting that reporters using computers for data retrieval and analysis have won Pulitzer Prizes the last six years in a row, U.S. News and World Report recently listed computer-assisted reporting (CAR) specialist for print media as one of 20 hot job tracks for the future: Journalists can improve the odds of breaking in and moving up by mastering computer-assisted reporting techniques ... Dozens of papers have trained or hired specialists in computer-assisted reporting in the last few years, and more will as the costs of equipment drop and databases become available through online services.(2) In addition to prize-winning story projects and the hiring of specialists, fundamental CAR techniques are quickly becoming part of the standard repertoire in many of the nation's newspapers. Two-thirds of the 208 newspapers responding to a spring 1994 survey of dailies computers in some manner for some type of reporting.(3) Referring to the rapid development of computer-assisted reporting in news-rooms, Jim Brown, director of the National Institute for Advanced Reporting, said, Those in the job market now who don't know how to use a spreadsheet or a database are really at a competitive disadvantage ...(4) Computer-assisted reporting, or CAR, includes the use of computers by reporters for gathering and processing information in every phase of news story development: obtaining story ideas from computer data-bases, online services, networks and bulletin boards; collecting and analyzing information from government and private databases; verifying information received from human sources via online services and databases; and creating databases at the newspaper to statistically analyze information for stories and graphics.(5) Despite advances in computer-assisted reporting being made by America's news gatherers, most university journalism programs have yet to introduce their first CAR course. J.T. Johnson, professor of journalism at San Francisco State University, believes this disparity is a noteworthy problem: It appears a large majority of journalism students--indeed, the great mass of all students in most universities--are not being adequately prepared to cope with the information-retrieval and analysis environment that is used daily by government and business, and a steadily increasing number of print and broadcast companies. Our students, therefore, are being defrauded, bilked out of the skills vital to their intellectual and professional due.(6) This article addresses questions associated with the introduction of CAR courses at universities. It first briefly outlines the use of computers in newsrooms, and then details the authors' Delphi study of CAR's future in journalism programs. Computer journalism The use of computers by jouralists is not new. Ward, Hansen, and McLeod identify the introduction of video display terminals (VDTs) and electronic pagination software as major technological changes in the newspaper industry beginning over two decades ago. The adoption of VDT technology changed writing, editing and production processes, while the electronic pagination systems transferred much of the back-shop production work to the Jouralists' desks.(7) In addition to editing and pagination functions, newspapers are now regularly utilizing their to access online databases, search computerized public records, and scrutinize government documents. …

Computer-Assisted Interpretive Reporting of Tumor Markers

We developed a program for a central laboratory computer that provides comprehensive reporting and interpretation of serially determined tumor markers (TMs). The program uses a combination of database searches and algorithmic logic to analyze series of up to five TM results. The algorithm is based on extensive literature references and yields narrative comments selected from a file of statements. The program summarizes the results of the present and four most recent TM determinations, interprets the present TM value, and comments on the change from the previous TM value. An easily interpretable graph displays the serially determined TM results and permits immediate recognition of trend changes.

Computer-assisted diagnostic surgical pathology reporting.

A very simple method of computer-assisted reporting of surgical pathology (including gross description, microscopic description, and diagnosis) has been developed. This method is based on a modification of the existing microbiology program and files in the comprehensive MedLab Company Pathlab computer system, with the use of mark sense cards for entering surgical number, gross and microscopic description, diagnosis and pathologist's name. The chief advantages of this system compared with other computerized surgical pathology reporting methods are its speed and simplicity of operation, reduction in clerical time, and production of concise reports for the patients' charts.

An Octal Algorithm for Pattern Coding and Computer-assisted Interpretative Reporting

A simple method of creating an octalbased number representing a pattern of disease, physiologic state, or condition in a multifaceted individual test (protein electrophoresis) or in a test grouping (thyroid profile) is explained. It is easily adapted to computer-assisted interpretative laboratory reporting on both large and small computer or calculator devices capable of matrix storage. The system is based on the primary octal numbers of 4, 2 and 1 representing increased (4), normal (2), and decreased (1) values of a test or test component. The numbers 6 (4 + 2) and 3 (2 + 1) represent variable expressions of normal to increased and normal to decreased, respectively. Following disease or condition coding, the permutations of the variables are taken into account and the list of permuted pattern codes placed in a column of a matrix. Individual columns represent a specific disease or condition potentially influencing a pattern of normal and abnormal test or test component values. The system is easily updated and/or corrected by simply altering English expression (disease or condition) represented by the column and/or individual pattern code so identified. Software is written to search the matrix following compilation of octal pattern codes of the patient data entry. The English statement represented by the column in which a match occurs is printed, resulting in a listing representing a differential diagnosis. Resultant reports can be approved, signed and used as a computer-assisted interpretative aid to the clinician.

Big Data as a differentiating sociocultural element of data journalism: the perception of data journalists and experts

The use of methods of the social sciences and computational tools to analyze databases in journalism has had several definitions since Philip Meyer called it precision journalism (PJ). In the last decade, this specialty has had an important development under the term data journalism (DJ), in a differentiating technological and sociocultural environment: Big Data. This research aims to differentiate DJ from PJ and computer assisted reporting (CAR) with a perspective taken from the science and technology studies, focusing the news as a boundary object between programmers, designers, journalists and other actors that now are part of the news production process. For this purpose, 14 in-depth interviews have been made from 2015 to 2017 to data journalists from Spain (8), EEUU (1) and Finland (1); PP, PD and transparency academic experts from Spain (1) and Finland (2); and one expert in transparency acts y access to public information in Spain, Europe and Latin American. As a result, it can be affirmed that big data is differentiating element of DJ because it is a sociocultural context where the open data philosophy, free software, collaborative and team work are part of its identity.