Author Archives: Barbara Fought

Dec 23

Story Idea: What About Those Who Don’t Celebrate Christmas

I remember a colleague who is Jewish said that his family tradition on Christmas was to go to a movie.   My new friend whose heritage is Indian said she volunteered to work on December 24 and 25, so those … Read More

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Dec 18

25th Anniversary of Lockerbie Disaster

Twenty-five years this Saturday.  December 21, 1988. A bomb blew up Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. You might be doing a short story about the anniversary, especially if any of those killed had ties to your area. We, at … Read More

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Nov 25

Beef Up Your Storytelling with a Statistic Here or There

I’m always encouraging reporters to find a new nugget of news, or a statistic or some context for their story to add value. So here’s a way to find some statistics if you’re reporting on a particular industry. Thanks to … Read More

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Nov 13

Dig Up Info on Your Local Non-profits

I just penned my annual email to the Syracuse University comptroller’s office asking for a copy of the lastest IRS 990 form. All non-profits have to complete these. Since the university operates on a fiscal year of July 1 to … Read More

Posted in Databases, Finding Stories | Leave a comment
Nov 04

Great Aid for Tracking Newsmakers

My colleague, Jon Glass, sent me a note last week that one of our alums had just gotten a big new job.  I congratulated the alum, via email, and he emailed back that  we were among the first to know. … Read More

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Oct 10

5 Helps For Covering the Nobel Peace Prize

Covering the Nobel Peace Prize Friday? It will be announced at 5 a.m. EST. Many are hoping for Malala Yousafzai, but many other deserving people have been nominated from across the world. To help you prepare, here are 5 helpful resources: … Read More

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Oct 10

Get Stats On Google Databoard or Create Infographics

If you are looking for some research about mobile and media, check out Google’s new databoard. It currently offers research on how consumers: search with a mobile device navigate multiple screens shop in stores with a smartphone, and use online … Read More

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Oct 02

TwXplorer Offers More Ways to Search Twitter

I tweeted out the link to TwXplorer a few days ago but just had a chance to try it myself. It’s a new Knight Foundation lab search tool for twitter. It offers you the last 500 tweets on a keyword, plus it gives you … Read More

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Sep 17

HistoryPin Offers Historical Photos and Information

Here’s a quirky website that I just came across.  It might be an interesting place for new reporters to go to learn a bit about history in their new area. Or by looking at the photos there,  a daily reporter … Read More

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Sep 09

Search Twitter With Topsy

I’ve written before  that Twitter’s own  search only lasts a few days so it’s difficult to find tweets more than a week old. So I’ve recommended you try Topsy  for searches. Now great news. Topsy, as of last week, has … Read More

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