Download Week

J421: Analytic Journalism - Fall ‘04
Wed. Sec. 01 – 7-9:45 p.m. HUM 401
Instructor: Prof. J. T. Johnson ([email protected] )
Class web sites:

You may ONLY use a SFSU e-mail address in this class.
Yahoo! Groups (all course content, calendars, important URLs):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SFSU-J421/
To enroll in this Yahoo! Web site, click (or go) to this URL:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SFSU-J421/join

Blackboard (used only for quizzes): http://sfsu.blackboard.com
Other sites of import:

Investigative Reporters and Editors www.ire.org

The Scoop.org www.thescoop.org

Today in Journalism History (Poynter Institute page)

http://www.poynter.org/cftoday/today.cfm

Jeff South’s page of software tips: http://www.people.vcu.edu/~jcsouth/hotlists/tutorials.html

Fast Guide to Tutorials
http://whatis.techtargeWedcom/definition/0,,sid9_gci532335,00.html
NB: This should always be seen as a preliminary calendar. Each group of students differs, and
circumstances change in the course of every semester, which might mean that the class will move
more quickly or more slowly than planned. Such is the world of journalism. Just roll with it.
Assignments for a particular week are due the week listed.
Week
Assignment
Week I[top]
Wed. Aug. 25
Topic:
 Intro to course
 The Infosphere
 The RRAW-P Process of Communications
 GST (General Systems Theory)
Readings:
 AP Stylebook
 This week’s New York Times and SF Chronicle
Assignments:

“Unofficial” who-are-you questionnaire completed. Click here

Join IRE (Investigative Reporters & Editors) by no later than Aug. 27.
www.ire.org
Notes:
This week’s HOT TIP: Go to the class site in Yahoo Groups FILES. Download
and print out all the articles there and put them in a notebook. Others will
probably be added as the semester progresses, but at least you will have
these at hand. You also want to keep them in digital format because they
usually have hot links embedded.
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Week II[top]
Wed. Sept 1
Topic: Management of Search Results and Data

History of Analytic Journalism (CAR)

A journalist’s responsibilities

Fine-tuning your research skills.

Listserv directories

Managing your research/data
Readings:
 The Jason Blair Papers (go to the class site on Yahoo, drill down in the “Files”
folder, find the Blair folder and print out and read all the stories in that
folder. Bring those printouts to class. We will be discussing them in class
today and probably for the rest of the semester.
 Inst. for Analytic Journalism proposal (on Yahoo site as PDF)
 Cox: History of CAR (Yahoo site as .RTF)
 This week’s New York Times and SF Chronicle
 Davis, David. AP Style Tipsheet

Dube, Jonathan. “Misquoting Google” In Yahoo! class site folder or
http://www.poynter.org/templates/column_a/defaulWedasp?id=32&aid=3
2072

Houston: Computer-Assisted Reporting Chapts. 1 & 2

McGrath, Ben. “DEPWED OF PREDICTION: COMPLEX PROCESS” The New
Yorker, May 10, 2004
http://www.newyorker.com/talk/content/?040510ta_talk_mcgrath
Assignments:
 Join IRE (Investigative Reporters & Editors) by no later than Aug. 27 Fill out
the online application at www.ire.org Then immediately send an e-mail to
John Green, IRE membership coordinator at [email protected] telling him the
particulars of your joining. He will then pull your application, process it,
and e-mail them their ID# immediately. You need that number to do
assignments for this week.
 J421 Task #1 – Create a Personal Business Card in MS Word
 J421 Task #2 – Getting in the loop
 Go to IRE website [http://www.ire.org ] “RESOURCES | Tipsheets.”
Download (you will need to have your membership number to do this) and
read:
o Number: 967, “The Byte Chase” Author: Neil Reisner
o Number: 900 “Strategic Searching On Deadline - A Game Plan”
Author: Christopher Callahan
 Ross, Steve. “SSR-NewAnalyticalJournalisWedrtf” in Yahoo class site FILES
 Read Coddington, Jim. “The Geography of Art: Imaging the Abstract with
GIS” http://www.directionsmag.com/features.php?feature_id=44 This
will, I hope, start to expand your horizons about what’s possible in terms
of analytic journalism (and GIS)
 Turn in your COMPLETED AND SIGNED copy of the department’s
plagiarism statement Wednesday. You can get it at
http://Jdeptplagiarism.notlong.com Yes, you have done this
before, but I would like an autographed copy, please.
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Notes:

Seminar in class on using Lexis-Nexis and specialized resources with
librarian Ann Kennedy

Check out the good stuff on The Journalist’s Toolbox: Copy Editing
http://www.journaliststoolbox.com/newswriting/copyeditors.html
This week’s Hot Tip: Don't try to memorize or even read all of the AP Stylebook
in one sitting. But do try to read through a couple letters of the alphabet in
it each day to get a feel for what's there and an idea of how to find iWed
Hot Tip: For an insight into the fine points of grammar that copy editors love to
know, and so should you, check out this about JFK, Jr.'s death. Click here
And if you want to know more about what copy editor's do — and if you
care about what you write, you love these folks — go to
http://www.thesloWedcom/
Week III[top]
Wed. Sept 8
Topic: Management of Search Results and Data

Online research tools and strategies
Readings:
 This week’s New York Times and SF Chronicle
 “LeeGiles-Smart Search.pdf” in Yahoo! FILES
 “GPrice-Specialized Search Engine FAQs.rtf” in Yahool class site FILES
 Foster, Don. "Author Unknown: On the Trail of Anonymous." (in Yahoo class
site)
 Top Ten Advanced Internet Search Tips
http://www.epa.gov/Region2/library/powertip.htm
 Houston: Chapter 7 “Getting Data Not on the Internet” and Appendix A:”
Choosing Hardware and Software” and B:“A Short Intro. To Statistical
Software”
Assignments:

J421-Task03SearchStrategies.rtf [on Yahoo]

J421-Task04BkMkMgrs.rtf [on Yahoo]
Notes:

The Journalist's Toolbox features more than 12,000 Web sites helpful to
the media and anyone else doing research. Use the pulldown menu or search
engine to locate information from a variety of beats and news industry-related
topics. http://www.journaliststoolbox.com/
Week IV[top]
Wed. Sept 15
Topic:
 Online research
Readings:
 This week’s New York Times and SF Chronicle
 Ross, Steve. “Lies, damned lies and statistics.” (On Yahoo site)
 Cohen Chpt 6 “The 10 Most-Wanted List: Mistakes in the News from Simple
Math to Lapses in Judgment”
 Cohen Chpt 1: “What's a Number?”
 Gordon, Rachel. “Mayor builds database of city workers” SF Chronicle, 13
May, 2004.
Assignments:

J421-Task03SearchStrategies.rtf [on Yahoo]
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
J421-Task04BkMkMgrs.rtf [on Yahoo]

Task #05: Archiving files
Notes: OASIS tutorial completed. Make sure your completion can be seen via
your Test Score Report from the SFSU Student Information Service
web page.
Week V [top]
Wed. Sept 22
Topic: Search, Retrieval and Management of Data
 The Numeric Imperative
 Statistical thinking/analysis
Readings:
 This week’s New York Times and SF Chronicle
 Simon, Julian. “The Old-Time Journalistic Methods Don't Work Here” (on
Yahoo class site)
 Houston: Chpt 3 “Spreadsheets, Part 1”
 Cohen Chapt 2: “A Newsroom Math Guide”
 Cohen Chapt 7: “Lotteries, Lightning Strikes and Longevity -- A Note on
Probability”
 Dedman, Bill “Speed Trap: Who Gets a Ticket, Who Gets a Break?” Boston
Globe series, 20-22 July 2003
http://www.boston.com/globe/metro/packages/tickets/ and
 Greenberger, Scott and Dedman, Bill, “Survey of Gay Marriages in Mass.” on
class site. Be sure to study the spreadsheeWed
 O’Hanlon and Lins de Albuquerque, “Iraq Index: Tracking Variables of
Reconstruction & Security in Post-Saddam Iraq”
http://www.brookings.edu/fp/saban/iraq/index.pdf
Assignments:

Task #7 - NonTradQuestions.rtf (due)

Task #8 - WhatsMissingHere.pdf (due)
Notes:
Week VI [top]
Wed. Sept 29
Topic: Search, Retrieval and Management of Data
 Budget analysis
Readings:
 This week’s New York Times and SF Chronicle
 DeJesus, Edward. “Performance measurement in health care.rtf” (Yahoo)
 Houston: Chapter 4 “Spreadsheets, Part 2”
 Cohen Chapt 3: “Working with Graphics”
 Cohen Chapt 4: “The Standard Stories”
 Cohen Chapt 5: “Surveys and Polls”
Assignments:

Task #9 – Howard Dean Payroll Analysis

J421FinalProjectPt1 -- Topic Determination
Notes:

Class meets with Erich Seamon and SF GIS folks in their downtown
offices in City Hall.

Hot Tip: You must have taken two SFSU short-course classes in Excel by
today. See http://oi.sfsu.edu/cgibin/student/training.list_classes?action=A for the calendar and be
sure to sign-up early. Also, here’s a link for additional Excel tutorials.
Get an early start because you will need to know it soon.
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Week VII [top]
Wed. Oct 6
Topic: Search, Retrieval and Management of Data
 “Freedom of Speech Isn’t Free, pal.”
 The reporter and the law
Readings:
 This week’s New York Times and SF Chronicle
 South, Jeff (and JTJ) “A tipsheet on file formats” on Yahoo site.
 Houston: Chapter 10 “Doing the Computer-Assisted Reporting Story”
 Houston: Chapter 8 “Building Your Own Database”
 Visit this site and dig into the types of data available and the stories id
provides. Also, sign up for its e-mail alert system.
www.politicalmoneyline.com Should you wish to really drill down, look to
the right column.
The subscriber’s login is: tomjohnson Password: sfsuj421
Be sure to check out “Thomas Tracker” on the site.
Assignments:

Cover Online Learning Conference and Expo – Moscone Center Oct 8-13. http://www.onlinelearningconference.com/ You register online for this
online as described in Task#6

Extra Credit: Cover some aspect of the Calif. First Amendment Coalition
conference at UC-Berkeley School of Journalism Oct. 8-9. Register here:
http://www.cfac.org/assembly.htm at bottom of page. Assignment name
– J421CFAC-??? -- due as hard copy and digital attachment beginning of
class Monday, Oct. 11. Word count: 750 words maximum.
Notes:
 Alternative to Online Learning Conference story: KMWorld & Intranets 2004
Oct 26 - 28th, Santa Clara Calif. http://www.kmworld.com/kmw04/
Week VIII [top]
Wed. Oct 13
Topic: Data Analysis
 Catch up day/week
Readings:
 This week’s New York Times and SF Chronicle
 Houston: Chapter 9 “Dirty Data”
Assignments:
 Task #6: Exhibits of New Thinking due Friday, Oct. 15
Notes:
Week IX [top]
Wed. Oct 20
Topic: Data Analysis
Readings:
 This week’s New York Times and SF Chronicle
 Read “Mining the Data on Your Beat” http://www.notrainnogain.com/Train/Res/Report/data.asp
Assignments:

J421-Task#10FreeportBudget-??? in class
Notes:
Week X [top]
Wed. Oct 27
Topic: Data Analysis
Readings:
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 This week’s New York Times and SF Chronicle
Assignments:
Notes:
Week XI [top]
Wed. Nov. 3
Topic:
 Data Analysis
 Showing the story: Importance of graphics to tell the story
Readings:
 This week’s New York Times and SF Chronicle
 Rosnick, David. “Child’s Play? The Bush Administration’s Misuse of Data”
 http://www.cepr.net/Childs_Play.htm
 Cripe, Dennis. “Creating Infographics” in Yahoo class site or
http://psj.franklincollege.edu/cripe/Infographics.html
Assignments:
 Cartography is a wonderful integration of data and art and story telling. Visit
David Rumsey Map Collection site (his company is based in the Presidio)
and just explore what has been done before. Note and think about ideas
you might wish to borrow. This content is data-intensive; visit it with the
fastest connection possible. http://www.davidrumsey.com/index.html
 Edward Tufte is among the handful of world-class information-based
designers. Go to his home page and explore www.edwardtufte.com to see
the sophisticated thinking that goes into good communication of data. Be
sure, too, to visit these links: http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/newet
and http://www.edwardtufte.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetchmsg?msg_id=0000SI&topic_id=1&topic=Ask%20E%2eT%2e Be prepared
to discuss in class how journalists can apply these insights.
 Browse and read: “Blackout Results in Widespread Network Outages”
Thursday, August 14, 2003 Note how, without maps (even a mental map),
this story is difficult to understand. http://www.renesys.com/news/#bgpwds
Assignments:

J421FinalProjectPt2 – Bibliography & Potential Source List
Notes:
Week XII [top]
Wed. Nov. 10
Topic: JAGIS (Journalism And Geographic Information Systems/Science)
Readings:
 This week’s New York Times and SF Chronicle
 Houston: Appendix C “A Short Introduction to Mapping Data”
 What is GIS? GIS & Decision-Making Information http://proximityone.com/gisdm.htm
 Various articles about Kim Rossmo, GIS crime profiler, at
http://www.ecricanada.com/news/articles.html# This is a referral link. Be
sure to read (online) “Mapping the criminal mind” and “The Hound of
the Data Points” and it’s visual sidebar/Related Links, “Rigel and the
Rapist: How an algorithm ended an 11-year crime spree.”
 Read “Mapping San Francisco’s Neighborhoods with 2000 Census Data”
 http://bss.sfsu.edu/pamuk/sfneighborhoods-gis-exercise.PDF
 Go to GIS.com [ http://www.gis.com/ ] and explore “Try GIS For Yourself”.
Be prepared to show and tell something you’ve found about California.
Assignments:
 J421-Task12VisStats-???
Notes: Wednesday, November 19, 2003, marks the 5th anniversary of GIS Day.
Check out the on-campus events scheduled for tomorrow. MTK on this.l
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Week XIII [top]
Wed. Nov. 17
Topic: A Visit With a Pro – We go to the San Jose Mercury-News (be there by 5:15
p.m.) to meet with Griff Palmer, the Merc’s analytic journalism guru.
Readings:
 This week’s New York Times and SF Chronicle
Assignments:
Notes: This is National GIS Day. Be alert to how journalists use Geographic
Information Systems
Wed. Nov. 24
No class
Week XIV [top]
Wed. Dec. 1
Topic: Telling the Story
 Catch up
Readings:
 Read “City Maps Services With GIS” from Yahoo class site.
 Go to http://www.baltimorecity.gov/news/citistat/reports.html and explore
what Baltimore is doing. Then read “CitiStat: FY2001 Estimate of Financial
Impact” at http://www.baltimorecity.gov/news/citistat/fiscal.html
 Read/browse: “Combining Data Analysis with Spatial Analysis”
http://bss.sfsu.edu/pamuk/Geospatial-data-exercise.PDF
 Read/browse: “Data Sources On The Internet For Social Scientists, Urban
Planners, & Policy Analysts” http://bss.sfsu.edu/pamuk/data.html
 This week’s New York Times and SF Chronicle
 Read “SeattleTimesJAGIS-MappingTransportrantion.rtf” in Yahoo Files
Assignments:
Notes: NO NO class on Wed., Dec. 3. It is Advising Day. Be sure to sign up for a
conversation with the advisor for your major.
Week XV [top]
Wed. Dec. 8
Topic: Telling the Story
 Enterprise stories
Readings:
 This week’s New York Times and SF Chronicle
Assignments:
 421FinalProjectPt3 – Project delivered
Notes:
FINAL EXAM [top]
Wednesday, 15 Dec. 7 p.m.
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