The Digital Watchdog's First Byte: Journalisms First Computer Analysis Of Public Records

Transcript

MAIER, Scott R. The Digital Watchdog's First Byte: Journalisms First Computer Analysis of Public Records. American Journalism, v. 17, n. 4, p. 75-91, 2006. This account ofjournalism'sfirst computer analysis ofpublic records chronicles the early promise ofcomputer-assisted reporting(CAR) and examines how many ofthe challenges posed by technology more than 30years ago persist in today's digital newsroom. The article documents how the Miami Herald in 1968 transcribed and analyzed 13,000 keypunch cards to examine Dade County's uneven prosecution ofcrime. The result was a revealing series entitled "A Scientific Look at Dade Crime"—and the inception ofa potent genre of public servicejournalism. But, as the Herald learned, technology does not make a reporters work easier, justpotentially more incisive. Understanding the difficulties the Herald encountered in 1968 gives perspective to the slow andfaltering advance ofcomputer-assisted reporting.