New Knight Center webinar focuses on computer assisted reporting

The Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas has held its first offering of “An Introduction to Computer Assisted Reporting,” (CAR) a webinar taught by Brazilian digital news media pioneer José Roberto de Toledo. This free, two-hour webinar was held on Dec. 13, 2010, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. CST (Austin time).

Journalists from Latin America were invited to participate in this webinar that was presented in Portuguese, covering the basic concepts of CAR. The webinar outlined CAR history and its context, provided a variety of Internet search tips and strategies, and introduced the use of Excel and Evernote in data analysis. This webinar was structured as an introductory approach to CAR techniques and was not recommended for those journalists who are already familiar with CAR.

“There’s always a way to make things faster, easier and more precise: to do them with the help of a computer. And you don’t even have to suffer to do it. Just get to know how,” said Toledo about this new webinar. “That’s what CAR training is all about.”

Toledo is a veteran digital reporter, with more than 14 years of experience in computer assisted reporting. He is a founding member of the Brazilian Association for Investigative Journalism (ABRAJI).

At the end of the webinar, journalists can receive a certificate of participation by paying an administrative fee of $30. This will cover a small portion of the operations of the distance learning course, which is funded by the Knight Center through a generous grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

The Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas at the University of Texas at Austin was launched in 2002 by Professor Rosental Calmon Alves. Thanks to grants from the Knight Foundation, the center has assisted thousands of journalists in Latin America and the Caribbean. For more information, contact the Knight Center’s program manager, Jennifer Potter-Miller at jpottermiller@mail.utexas.edu or +1 512 471-1391.