Beginner

Google tools for journalists

Google Fact-Check Explorer, Google Public Data Explorer, Google Trends, Google search shortcuts/advanced search), MapChecking for crowd size estimates, PhantomBuster, VisualPing for tracking website updates and other cool tools and hacks.

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    • Microsoft Excel 05 – What if

    The more data you have, the more questions you will have about it, and the more answers it can provide. Excel has a variety of conditional formulas that let you evaluate subsets of your data to find the stories to tell: If…Then formulas; Conditional Functions; XLOOKUP; Array Functions.

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    • Microsoft Excel 03 — Top of the charts

    Numbers gives us the facts, but images tell us the story. In this session, we’ll show you how to create charts from your data, leverage Excel’s suggestions, modify them to […]

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    • Microsoft Excel 02 – Fill it out

    In this session, we’ll explore how Excel helps you add data in a flash. We’ll explore new data types that pull information from the internet and help you spot the important stuff at a glance: Conditional Formatting; Auto Fill; Flash Fill; Geography and Stock Data Types; Leveraging Tables for Expanding Data Sets  

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    • Excel 01 – Welcome to Excel

    In this session we’ll start at A1 and introduce you to the basics of Excel, how it’s structured, and how to get around in it. We’ll show you how you can start using formulas to take Excel beyond just a list of stuff.

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    • Cool tools for journalists

    We’ll dig into several investigative and productivity tools you can incorporate into your reporting right now. We’ll explore VisualPing.io for tracking website updates, PhantomBuster.com for scraping Google Maps, the Salo App for recording front/back camera videos on your phone, 123apps.com for file conversion and dozens of phone apps and other tools

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    • Transcription and translation in Microsoft Word

    In this session, we’ll teach you how to create transcripts of your interviews in Word on the web. We’ll explore Word’s dictation features and highlight its ability to translate between different languages.

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    • Covering retail and inflation

    Learn how to use tools like Google Shopping, Keepa and CamelCamelCamel to track prices. Also: How to use the Consumer Price Index, use inflation calculators and other tools for tracking prices and fraudulent online sellers/reviewers.

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    • Google Trends 301

    How to download data from the Google Trends store and create Flourish graphics with it. Also: Tracking midterm election issues and candidates. How can you use Trends during an election?

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    • Google MyMaps 301

    Students will build layered maps. We will show them how to work multimedia into the map. We’ll use real data they can download. Bonus: We also will show how to use PhantomBuster to scrape data OUT of Google Maps.

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    • Environment tools, Part III

    me new tools, such as the Environmental Justice Atlas that documents cases around the world of environmental infractions. We’ll also look at Protected Planet, which tracks conservation measures, and the Wildlife Dashboard.

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    • Data portals: Datahubs, USA Facts and the Humanitarian Exchange

    How to use three portals to find datasets and even some pre-built graphics.

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    • Sports databases: Google Flourish and AirTable

    Sports are built on data. We’ll work through a series of exercises to build interactive databases of sports data.

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    • Productivity: 123Apps and TinyWow

    ok at browser-based Swiss Army knife tools that will help your productivity. They help with file management and conversion, quick video edits and more.

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    • Scraping Google Maps with PhantomBuster

    PhantomBuster.com lets you scrape up to 200 locations off Google Maps and drop them into a spreadsheet with ease. It allows you to scrape by address, phone number, Instagram photos and more.

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    • Reporting tools for early-career journalists, Part I

    Google Basics: Advanced search, micro-search sites, Trends, MapChecking, fact-checking, etc.

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    • Protected: High school and college sports coverage tools, Part II

    There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

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    • Empower your research with Lexis/Nexis

    How to conduct basic research for news stories.

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    • Libel refresher: What reporters need to know to work within the law

    ou don’t need to be a legal expert, but having this basic framework will keep you in compliance with the law while you carry out your duties. We’ll teach you how to spot possible problem areas, ask for help and prevent potentially libelous phrasing.

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    • Writing headlines that win with new audiences

    The right words aren’t just a powerful way to summarize a story — they’re the best tool we have to reach occasional readers and convert them to paying subscribers.

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    • Write better headlines and captions

    Learn how the pros at the Design Center zero in on the heart of the story, using just a few words.

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    • Reporters toolkit for search

    Use this tool to track and visualize search trends on Google. You can compare terms or sub-topics, and use the tool to compare keywords you can use in SEO tags and headlines. The comparison graphics, maps and list are easy to embed and share.

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    • News values and judgment

    We tackle the fundamentals of what makes a story newsworthy, the essential practices of journalists and the shared values that differentiate journalism from other forms of content and storytelling.

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    • Using specialized search engines to find sources, data and fact-checks

    Execute deeper, more precise, more sophisticated web searches by harnessing specialized search engines. Diversity your stories, angles, sources and readers.

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    • Using search trends to stay ahead of the curve

    Narrow parameters, create comparisons and overlays and discover what local audiences are looking for in real time.

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    • Reporting on the Census

    How to be prepared for the huge release of Census data due in mid-August.

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    • How to find diverse sources to build trust, better serve our readers and grow audience

    Enterprise reporters Romi Ruiz, Marc Ramirez and Jessica Guynn talk about how they work to build trust with diverse audiences and find story ideas about communities that represent different experiences in the United States.

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    • The best data on education

    What education data sets out there, and what stories can they help us tell?

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    • Advanced search techniques for reporters

    Google Advanced Search, search operators, deep searching a government website with a lousy search tool, Google Dataset Search, Google Scholar. Data sources

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    • Fact-Checking I: Basic Fact-Checking Tools

    Introduction to basic tools like Google Fact Check Explorer, Google Earth, the Verification Handbook and First Draft News resources.

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    • Google Public Data Explorer

    The Google Public Data Explorer is linked to reliable datasets that can help you build charts in minutes.

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    • Google basic search tools

    We’ll cover all kinds of search tips and tricks in this video. Make sure you have Google.com open as well as the search operators handout linked off this page.

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    • Data scraping with Google Sheets and Tabula

    In this training video and hands-on exercises, you’ll learn how to scrape data tables out of web pages.

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    • Scraping online databases with Google Sheets

    An accessible way for anyone to quickly capture data that would otherwise require hundreds of hours at the keyboard to query.

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    • How to pry public records from a reluctant agency

    Government databases are public records, yet most agencies treat records requests for data as something exotic and fraught with challenges. Anticipate the objections and defeat them for the win.

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    • Data visualization introduction

    Visualizations can help make a complex story simpler. Play with simple data visualization tools, learn how to automatically import data into a map, and explore the elegant templates of Flourish.

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    • Introduction to using data in your reporting

    An overview of the key data analysis tools and techniques used to produce investigative stories, with examples of stories that were made possible with these tools.

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    • Backgrounding like a boss: Reporting on people and companies with free tools

    Even great reporters can get tricked by fake names or sketchy backgrounds. We’ll walk through some websites and strategies you can use to create a routine and spot potential red flags before you get burned.

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    • Advanced Search: Power tools for search, research and analysis

    See what users in your area are searching and discover story ideas on Google Trends. Explore Backlight, an AI tool for parsing massive amounts of documents.

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    • Verification tools

    Bad information is dangerous, especially in uncertain times. Learn how to verify images and video, investigate social media posts, and identify misinformation with open-source intelligence tools.

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    • 9 Tips for Covering Election Misinformation

    Here are concrete, simple steps journalists can take to fight misinformation, avoid confusion and add context.

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    • 9 remote interviewing tips for journalists

    From the technical to the legal, how to make sure you’re covered when you can’t meet a source face-to-face.

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    • 50 tools for writing well with Roy Peter Clark

    Organized into four sections, “Nuts and Bolts,” “Special Effects,” “Blueprints for Stories,” and “Useful Habits,” this series is infused with more than 200 examples from journalism and literature.

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