Archive for the ‘Readings’ Category

More odds, more ends

April 23rd, 2018 by Jack

On Tuesday, we’ll take a field trip to meet WNBC investigative reporter Jonathan Dienst. Among other things, we’ll discuss filing Freedom of Information requests. The Washington Post has an excellent primer video on the subject and ProPublica has a useful article, even if Illinois focused.

While I’ve got NBC on the brain, you might be interested to learn my employer recently launched Archives Xpress, a searchable library of license-ready content from NBC News and other NBCUniversal brands that’s available for immediate download by consumers. Users can select from different pricing options.

Max Parrott has become a reporting machine at AM New York, with bylines on stories about a hockey guidebook, the New York International Automobile Show, an event commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., an approaching deadline for e-cigarette shops and the closing of a club I’ll definitely miss. (Sorry New York doesn’t prioritize music venues like my beloved New Orleans does.)

Elsewhere, Karina Hernandez partnered with Max for a Queens Latino piece on undocumented bakery workers. Check out the video!

Finally, I’m in a good mood since I last saw you, given that my favorite basketball team won the national championship

Interviewing two-time national champion coach Jay Wright of Villanova.

Interviewing two-time national champion coach Jay Wright of Villanova.

Odds and ends

March 26th, 2018 by Jack

On Tuesday, J-school alum and NBC colleague Rima Abdelkader will join me to talk about social media research and reporting. Please read and be prepared to discuss the social media policies for NBC News and the New York Times.

Also Tuesday, the New York Public Library will be at the school for library card signups from noon to 3 p.m. Barbara Gray created a list of NYPL resources available remotely.

Both the New York Times and Wall Street Journal are now available online CUNY-wide. For subscription information, click here.

Last but not least, I’m tardy in shouting out some of your work…

Amy Mackinnon wrote about how hundreds of thousands of patients are likely misdiagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in a story for Slate.

Max Parrott is interning at AM New York and has written stories about a spry Harlem sprinter and a midtown wellness retreat.

Make sure to send me anything you want spotlighted here!

Manti Te’o and the decline of research…

February 15th, 2013 by Jack

In the last two classes I mentioned I was writing about a former Times colleague’s Manti Te’o research flub…and that the profession of news researcher is headed toward extinction, as Wonbo Woo agreed.

In both cases, I was referring to the same article, which you can now read here.

I’d love to get your thoughts in the comments section below!

Update: As my article has made the rounds of the research profession, it has come to my attention that a colleague wrote something similar in 1995.

This is why you need to learn research, journalism friends.

October 17th, 2012 by Jack

Because I’m a dinosaur.

Looking back(grounding) and looking ahead

March 3rd, 2011 by Jack

Regarding backgrounding, CBS News and Sports Illustrated have jointly produced a terrific enterprise package on college football players with criminal records.  Awesome research!

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When I’m next in on March 22nd, we’ll be discussing Census research.  In yesterday’s Times, there was an excellent example of Census Bureau statistics inspiring a story (video included).  On March 23rd, I’ll be “embedded” in class to assist you with a Census-related story assignment, so it’s not too soon to start thinking about what you might like to do.  As long as it’s inspired by Census data, the assignment is pretty open-ended.

Today’s rant: Another reason I’d be fine if Facebook went away forever, investigative value be damned.

Greetings, intro, etc.

January 31st, 2011 by Jack

Welcome (and for some, welcome back) to “The Craft of Research,” the official research blog for the Spring 2011 Broadcast Craft class of John Schiumo and Marc Kusnetz.  It’s the spot for research lessons, handouts, news, tips and whatever else comes up during the semester.

My name is Jack Styczynski, and while this marks my sixth semester teaching research at the J-school, it’s my first in Broadcast Craft.  I couldn’t be more excited about the new assignment!

When I’m not here, I’m a researcher at NBC and the New York Times.  If you’re interested in more career details, click here.  One thing you’ll probably notice is that I’m a big college hoop-head.

Despite the fact I make a living as an online searcher, you may also notice past readings posted here and even my humorous Christmas post demonstrate a concern for the effects computers are having on us.  Matt Richtel of the Times often makes me feel old and feeds my fear.  For example, he shows why I worry about our brains on computers and why I don’t own a mobile phone.

Speaking of my concern with computers and stuff I’ve read in recent months, should we now fret about technology making some journalists obsolete? Or will Patch save us all?

This is tech! On my bike at the train station. No cell? No car since '95 either.

This is tech! On my bike at the train station. No cell? No car since '95 either.

Anyway, enough about me and my technology nightmares. I note that a few of you were busy during the break. Nathan Frandino had a story in the Daily News about Coptic Christians in Queens mourning a loss. Laura Shin had several bylines for OurTownNY. And Annais Morales had New York Post stories here, here, here, here, here, here and here, continuing her quest to be known as the hardest working woman in the biz. Either that or she’s addicted to getting love on this blog.

Research bonus: The Census Bureau’s American Community Survey now includes the first ever 5-year estimates from 2005-2009, and the New York Times has made some nice use of them.  On the subject of demographics, Social Explorer now has an excellent database of religion statistics right down to the PUMA level. We will be digging into Census and demographic numbers this semester.

Blekko: a new search engine

November 12th, 2010 by Jack

Here’s an article and a video (below) that serves as a good lead-in to my next and final lesson about “Mining the web like a pro.”  I don’t plan to cover Blekko specifically, but it nonetheless serves to show you how web searches, whether using Google or another engine, can get quite advanced.

blekko: how to slash the web from blekko on Vimeo.

Today’s bonus: I’m pretty sure it’s a new era when Newsweek and The Daily Beast merge.

Congratulations, Barbara Gray!

October 15th, 2010 by Jack

My now former boss at the New York Times becomes my new (sort of) boss here at the J-school.  If you haven’t met Barbara already, make sure you introduce yourself to her when she starts next week in the Research Center.  She’s the best!

Today’s bonus: Is Tumblr the next Twitter?

Rush vs. Wikipedia, part 2

September 16th, 2010 by Jack

Check out this article in today’s Times.  Yeah, right, it wasn’t Wikipedia.  It was the June 31st issue of the Pensacola News Journal (chuckle, snort).

Anyway, speaking of the Times, here’s another interesting piece on forthcoming changes for Twitter.

Dog days report

August 26th, 2010 by Jack

I often question whether all this computer use is good for me/us.  Some of my summer reading reflected that…

Nicholas Carr wrote sort of a sequel to his famed 2008 article asking “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”  In the same vein, the New York Times had a story about our brains on computers, and I finally got around to viewing Frontline’s Digital Nation episode from earlier this year.

At least the good folks at the Onion can make us laugh about it.

But seriously, how good can this pace be for journalism in general and research in specific?

For those of you I haven’t scared off to Luddite-ville, here’s some stuff to keep you hooked to the screen: guides for Deep Web Research and Mastering Twitter.

Changing gears, if you want to read some of what I worked on this summer, check out my NYT credits.   The July 26th story involved the use of Twitter, in fact.

Lastly, here’s some important news about the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.