News Reporting

Research exercises and added resources

Reporters rush to file stories. (Harpers Weekly, 1868)

Exercise
Link
Instructions
1. Comparing municipal government information
Virginia Auditor of Public Accounts
  1. Download the 2006 "comparative report" in Excel format
  2. Open in Excel. You may need to enlarge the report window.
  3. Now click on Exhibit C3 (bottom). Find the city of Radford on the right side.
  4. Look across the columns to column I -- Percent of average
  5. Notice that the police dept is funded at only 71.6 percent of the state average
  6. Look across the columns to column Q -- How much are fire and rescue services compared to the state average ? How unusual is that for the region?
1b.Who spends the most,
who spends the least?
  1. Using the 2006 "comparative report" in Excel format
  2. Open in Excel and go to Exhibit C6
  3. Select the entire table (click on the <> symbol in the extreme upper left . The whole sheet should be highlighted.
  4. Go to the menu and pull down "Data" - This brings up a dialogue box. Note the numbers in cells S48 and U48
  5. Sort by (pull down to) Column U
  6. Which city or county has the lowest per capita spending on school transportation? Which has the most?
1c. How much has this changed in the past 10 years?
  1. Download the 1996 "comparative report" in Excel format
  2. Open in Excel and go to Exhibit C6
  3. Look at cells S31 and U31
  4. Compare the numbers here to the numbers from 2006.
  5. Use this formula to get a percentage change -- New minus old divided by old (value) times 100 (percentage).
  6. So, for per capita spending change over time, New ($22.62) minus old ($5.95) divided by old (/$5.95) is what amount of increase?
  7. Now do the same for percent of state average
1d. Adjusting for inflation
Inflation calculator OR here is another inflation calculator
  1. To be more accurate, you can use inflation-adjusted dollars. $5.95 in 1996 was worth $7.63 in 2006.
  2. So you would use $7.63 instead of $5.95 in the example above.
1e. Radford University sports
Try another one
  1. This is an older one with numbers downloaded from a 2004 Auditor of Public Accounts report available in pdf form. More recent APA reports on RU's Title 9 program are available for live assignments
  2. So lets say you want to compare womens and mens ticket sales.
  3. So 135,900 divided by 14,044 is what? 9.67 or "nearly ten times as much" would be fair to give a sense of the difference.
  4. Still, the mens program was growing at what rate (new-old / old) while the women's program was growing at what rate? (new-old / old)
   
Exercise
Link
Instructions
2a. Backgrounding

What happened
to Quad Fest?
RU databases
  1. Click on RU Databases and open Lexis Nexis
  2. Log in if you are off campus
  3. Click on "News" in the upper menu
  4. Lets search for Quad Fest and riot
  5. Search terms should include Radford University AND riot OR Quad
  6. You should be able to find "Radford University Groups End Quad Fest" Feb. 25, 2006
2b. Backgrounding

1. How much do students vote?
 
  1. Click on RU Databases and open Lexis Nexis
  2. Search terms - voting rate, student
  3. You'll see lots of college newspapers
  4. You'll see Census Bureau statistics widely quoted, so do a Google search for Census Bureau for voting rates
  5. What is the average voting rate for the 2004 election for the 18-24 age group?
2. Is there a controversy in Radford over student voting?
 
  1. Click on RU Databases and open Lexis Nexis
  2. Search terms - Radford, voting, registration
     
 
 
3. State jobs, conferences
Virginia Press Association
  1. What jobs are being offered right now?
  2. When is the next VPA editorial conference? Where?
 
 
 
 
4. State courts, crime
Virginia Courts
  1. This is a very awkward database that is pretty much te best we have right now. Click on the link and then click on Case information Circuit Courts.
  2. Look up Bakaitis. When is the trial?
     
5. Political races
VA Public Access
Who is the top individual contributor to Cong. Rick Boucher's 2008 campaign? What is the top industry contributor?
     

6. Environmental enforcement

When did Radford VA Intermet last receive a notice of violation for a violation of the Clean Air Act?

EPA Enforcement & Compliance History
How many enforcement actions and notices of violations have been issued to Radford Army Ammunition Plant by the US EPA?

EPA information on the New River
     
   
Resources    
The News Business
Welcome to the occupation.
New economic models
 
News Sources
Important but not very well known sources of international news.
Convergence
Bringing media formats together into the Web is just the beginning of the possibilities...
Style and Grammar
Essential skills for writers
Advice on beat coverage
Getting familiar with several beats will help your career.
Computer Assisted Reporting (CAR)
Applies to all beats .
National
Statistical
Resources
Useful resources
Professional Associations
Helpful to working reporters .
Lists of Lists for Journalists
 
Basic General
Library Reference
You should be familiar with these
  • Facts on File
  • Lexis Nexis
  • Newspaper databases (NYT, WP, WSJ, etc)
  • Snopes & other mythbusters
  • Guinnes Book of World Records
  • Who's Who, etc.
  • Indexes, directories, registers & encyclopedias
  • Gayle (Polk) City Directory
Source Services
Usually in-depth experts. This is sometimes useful on deadline, but mostly for advanced reporters.
International Organizations
Many professional associations work on the international level.

Great Reporting on the Web

 
Finding internships and jobs
Search for publications or broadcast stations near home for internships or those crucial first jobs.

Media ownership

 
Nearby newspapers
 
Nearby television news organizations
 
Nearby radio stations
 
  • WVTF 89.1 FM radio (NPR)
  • Cumulus Media (purchased NR Radio partners in 2004)
    • WFNR (100.7) Talk
    • WWBU (101.7) Country
    • WBRW (105.3) Rock
    • WBWR (106.9) Rock
    • WPSK (107) Country
    • WFNR-AM (710) Talk
    • WRAD-AM (1460) Easy listening
Media notes  

Compiled by Prof. Kovarik. Please email wkovarik@radford.edu with changes or suggestions.