By Chase Martyn
I'm
Chase Martyn, and I run IowaProgress.com. I'm also working with the
Center for Independent Media on their new Iowa program. As part of
their commitment to growing the progressive Iowa blogosphere, the
Center has set up a free day-long training session for bloggers with
Stephen K. Doig, a nationally renowned journalism professor. All
trainees will also get a complimentary Lexis account , which is an
invaluable tool to improve the research that goes into your posts.
The details are below; but, if you are interested, be sure to RSVP by emailing me by Wednesday, April 25 (preferably sooner).
And please forward this message to any Iowa progressives who you think
might be interested, even if they are just getting started in the
blogging world.
I look forward to working with you!
chase martyn
mobile (561) 714-5732
The New Journalist Introductory Program
Do
you consider yourself a citizen-journalist? Would you like to advance
your blogging talents to include original and investigative stories? Is
muckraking in your blood?
Get the Training
The
Center for Independent Media invites you to an exclusive event for Iowa
bloggers and potential bloggers who share a passion for writing about
state issues and political news:
New Journalist Introductory Program
Saturday, April 28, 2007
9 am - 5 pm
Des Moines (Location TBA)
Join
us for the premiere of the New Journalist Pilot Program and an
intensive day of investigative journalism training, conducted by:
Stephen K. Doig, the Knight Chair in Journalism at the Cronkite
School of Journalism and Telecommunication at Arizona State University
and Pulitzer Prize winning reporter.
Doig pioneered computer-assisted journalism—the use of online
databases and research techniques to provide more depth to anecdotal
stories and to "connect the dots" between seemingly isolated bits of
information.
Get the Tools
In
addition to the free all-day training, each attendee will receive a
complimentary Lexis account valid through October 15, 2007.
Participants will be asked to evaluate the impact that Lexis has on
their blog content. Lexis is the premier research tool for working
journalists with over 4,000 news sources in one searchable database.
Investigative Reporting Training
The training day covers:
* New Journalist Introductory Study Program: An overview of the New
Journalist program and its Iowa pilot program. How to be a blogger and
a journalist.
* Introduction to
reporting: Recognizing news; necessary elements of a news story;
attribution; news vs. opinion; investigative reporting
* Media law and ethics: Public records, open meetings, libel, ethical standards
* Developing sources: Finding the right people to talk with, gaining trust, working a beat, interviewing techniques
* Following a paper trail: Finding and using documents, how to read a budget, property records, court filings
* Online research: Finding information online, evaluating it, best sites for reporters
* Computer-assisted reporting: Downloading data and analyzing it with Excel, getting data from public agencies
This training is provided by the Center for Independent Media.
Sign Up Today
To register, please contact: Chase Martyn (chase@chasemartyn.com) by April 25, 2007.
Please note this event is limited to 40 attendees. Space is limited, so register today!
