AAN West2008

Editorial Tools and Techniques

Friday, February 1

2 to 3:20pm
Where's the Story -- and What Do I Do with it?
Presenter: Tim Redmond
Ever sat in a story meeting wondering what to put in the paper this week? Ever thought about those blank white pages and wondered how to fill them? Never again. Tim Redmond, who has been at this for 25 years, talks about developing story ideas, mining beats for tips, discovering what the mainstream press is ignoring, helping young writers find great story ideas, great stories you can do anywhere, anytime, on a budget and how to train yourself to see amazing stories everywhere you look.

3:40 to 5pm
Going Where Other Journalists Have Never Gone Before
Presenter: Donna Ladd
Finding stories in communities and cultures that are typically ignored.

 

Saturday, February 2

9am to 12noon
(Note: There will be a mid- morning break.)
How Do I Use Public Records -- and What's at the End of the Paper Trail?

Presenter: Don Ray
Don Ray, one of the country's top investigative trainers, will do an extensive primer on what public records are available (including information even the most experienced reporters may never have thought of), where to find, them, how to strategize and write FOIA and state public records requests and more -- followed by a hands-on training exercise on how to use the data that you've found to break big stories, even on deadline.
 
1:30 to 2:50pm
Electronic Investigating
Presenter: Brant Houston
Where are the best online resources? Where are those hidden sites that tell you things you never dreamed you could find? Is it worth paying for Lexis-Nexis or Accurint? How do you cut through a Internet cluttered with data, much of it unreliable, to find the real goods? Brant Houston, a Pulitzer Prize winner and former head of Investigative Reporters and Editors, will give you the absolute latest tricks of the trade.

3:10 to 4:30pm
Digging up Dirt on the Private Sector

Presenter: A.C. Thompson
It's comparatively easily to track government corruption, but a lot of the best stories are in private business and nonprofits. A.C. Thompson, who has exposed financial scams, real-estate scams, rip-offs of taxpayer money by nonprofits -- and the connections between the CIA and some private airline outfits -- will present a primer on how to investigate the private sector: Uncovering fraud, abuse, cheating and criminal activity in an area where many reporters find it hard to make headway.

Programming, schedule and speakers are subject to change.
 

Home | Registration | Venues & Hotels | Schedule | Programs | Speakers
Programs: Business | Design & Production | Editorial | Sales