Sony enters drone market seeking professional partners

Usually characterized by a shoulder-to-shoulder push to see the latest in drone technology on a sprawling exhibit floor in Las Vegas, the 2021 Consumer Electronics Show was an entirely different affair, held virtually and lacking the biggest name in drones — DJI. With the conference grounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, the effort this month wasn’t … Continued

Launching a newsletter and thinking about analytics

It’s not just about clicks When we launched our obits newsletter, How They Lived, on December 8, I had one big concern: Would anyone read it? Honestly, I worry about that with everything I publish, but launching a new product so close to the holidays only amped up that worry. The beauty of making journalism … Continued

Taking a look at the Boston Globe’s “Fresh Start” program

Here are some key elements to consider Last week, the Boston Globe announced a new program to help reduce the impact of personal information found online. The Fresh Start initiative invites people to request a review of information about them in the news site’s public-facing archive, similar to some other efforts we’ve seen launched in … Continued

Pre-reporting for data journalists

A brief intro to exploratory analysis In a recent paper, a pair of statisticians took a stab at outlining “the most important statistical ideas of the past 50 years.” Among them: “counterfactual causal inference, bootstrapping and simulation-based inference, overparameterized models and regularization, multilevel models, generic computation algorithms, adaptive decision analysis, robust inference, and exploratory data … Continued

Reynolds Journalism Institute fellows to present overviews of their projects

Fellows will discuss what they learned and answer questions about their projects during the webinar. The Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute’s 2020-2021 fellows will present an overview of their projects on Tuesday, Feb. 16 beginning 11 a.m. CST.  Six fellows will discuss their project and what they learned, how they accomplished their goals, and share … Continued

Inject, Pinpoint and Vizydrop: Tips and tricks

We tried multiple tools to help find, develop and illustrate a story for KBIA For my last Innovation in Focus piece for the year, I wanted to try a few new tools while I was reporting on the passing of Amendment 3 for KBIA with a group of three other journalists. You can read and … Continued

Newsroom Notes: 4 questions for your newsroom when a giant national story unfolds

KOMU 8 in Columbia, Missouri, is the nation’s only teaching laboratory inside a commercial network-affiliated TV station. The challenges are no different from other newsrooms—just layered on top of the challenges facing the next generation of journalists.  We’re providing a first-hand view (and maybe a little advice) from an industry veteran who agreed to lead … Continued

FAQ: 2021 RJI Student Innovation Fellowships

How do I apply? Apply here. The application deadline is February 26, 2021. You will be notified by email about Zoom interviews if you are a finalist for a fellowship.  What is a 2020 RJI Student Innovation Fellowship?  A Missouri School of Journalism student interning with a local news organization by working 30 to 40 … Continued