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Info for
High School Journalists

Learn the art - and rewards - of analytical reporting

Registration ... Directions

Mention “computer-assisted reporting workshop” and let the excuses begin.

“That’s only for the big newspapers.”

“Spreadsheets?! I was a journalism major.”

“Yeah, right. I’ll get right on that, as soon as I’m done covering 14 meetings this week.”

Try this instead: groundbreaking reporting. Sounds more attractive, doesn’t it? Relevant, important stories about your community. Uncovering trends. Doing journalism that people will read and talk about. Journalism that makes a difference.
Now you have an idea of what NINA’s April 16 Spring Conference offers you and your newspaper.

Whether you work at a small weekly or a large daily, this workshop will help you go beyond press releases, public meetings and news conferences, and take control of important stories. You’ll learn fundamental skills to perform groundbreaking reporting, discover the tricks and tips behind some of the nation’s top stories and learn how anyone can use these simple techniques to deconstruct a raw story idea and rebuild it, fact by fact, into a rock-solid story.

“Any good story, regardless of size or scope, needs to be built on a foundation of solid research and fact,” said Joe Corrado of the Naperville Sun, NINA first vice president. “Used correctly, technology can put vital information quickly into reporters’ hands, and at the same time help them make sense of it.”

Chicago Tribune investigative reporter Michael Berens will conduct this comprehensive crash course. He’ll help participants learn the essentials of spreadsheets and database programs, from downloading public information from the Web to importing data from a disk.

“It’s no secret that computers can be a tremendous tool for reporters and editors,” Corrado said. “But what what many in the newsroom might not know is how to unleash technology’s true potential. Michael Berens not only teaches classes on the subject, but has used technology in his work as an investigative projects reporter at the Chicago Tribune and will bring real, on-the-job experiences to this workshop.”

This is Berens’ second NINA workshop in as many years. Last spring, as part of a health-care reporting workshop, he spoke about his investigative work uncovering contamination in hospitals and how harried and inadequately trained nurses contributed to the deaths of thousands of patients.

Registration

When: 9 a.m. to noon Friday, April 16

Where: Oak Trust Credit Union,
Oakbrook Terrace.

Cost: $25 each for members (newspaper or individual membership), $50 each for non-members.

To register: Participants may pay at the door, but reservations must be made by Friday, April 9. The first 40 reservations are guaranteed a seat. To register, contact Jim Killam at 815-753-4239 or jkillam@niu.edu.

Directions

Oak Trust Credit Union is on Summit Ave., just north of Butterfield Road. MAP

From south and west: Take I-88 to the Midwest Road exit and head north. Midwest Road becomes Summit Avenue. The credit union is on the west side of the street, about a half-mile north of Butterfield Road.

From north and northwest: Take I-290 or I-294 south, to Route 83 south. Take Route 83 south to Butterfield Road. Turn west (left) on Butterfield, then north (right) on Summit.