Nieman Reports Spring 2008 Issue Spring 2008 Table of Contents > 21st Century Muckrakers > Building a Toolbox for Precision Journalism 21st Century Muckrakers Building a Toolbox for Precision Journalism By Stephen K. Doig Want to add social science methods to your toolbox of investigative reporting skills? What follows are some ways to consider doing this: Read “Precision Journalism: A Reporter’s Introduction to Social Science Methods” (4th edition) by Philip Meyer. Fuzzy with math? Read “Numbers in the Newsroom: REFERRED ARTICLE "Reporting With the Tools of Social Science" – Stephen K. Doig Using Math and Statistics in News,” by Sarah Cohen, the Pulitzer-winning Washington Post database editor. Get the boss to buy you a copy of SPSS 16.0: This is a widely used statistical analysis software package. It’s pricey, at $1,700, but it will do most of the kinds of analyses precision journalists are performing these days. Better yet, the SPSS documentation, manuals and practice data serve as a good tutorial in statistical techniques. Join Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE): EDITOR'S NOTES 1.For more information on the IRE, go to www.ire.org/. Books mentioned above are available at www.ire.org/store. 2.To join this listserv go to www.ire.org/membership/subscribe/nicar-l.html. Fast help is available there while climbing the learning curve. 3.Details can be found at www.ire.org/training/arizonastats08.html. It offers training in computer-assisted reporting in general and precision journalism in particular[see note 1]. Subscribe to NICAR-L: This e-mail listserv is frequented by most of the reporters who are using precision journalism tools [see note 2]. Consider signing up for the annual advanced newsroom statistics boot camp at Arizona State University [see note 3]. Sign up for the annual “Mapping Data for News Stories” boot camp at IRE’s headquarters at the University of Missouri. Take a statistics course and a geographical information systems course at your local university. Most professors will be intrigued about helping you become a precision journalist. — S.K.D Next article: Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele Table of contents Printer-friendly format

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