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Tips for protecting sources and yourself

Journalist’s Resource offers some digital security tips for reporters designed to help them protect their sources and themselves. The tip sheet offers free resources as well as links to tutorials.

Read the recommendations here.

42 ideas for your newsroom’s next newsletter

The nice thing about newsletters is that they’re great experimental platforms to test ideas and try new things while thinking differently about the building blocks of the news industry.
Consider these ideas starting points.
Read the 42 ideas by clicking here.
http://www.poynter.org/2017/here-are-42-ideas-for-your-newsrooms-next-n…

How not to ‘adjectify’

Remember that by definition, an adjective is a modifier. So any time you want to use one, ask yourself why you need to modify the noun. 
If you want to use an adjective, think what its opposite might be. Would you use it then? That can help you decide whether you really need it, or whether that modification can go elsewhere, perhaps where its relevance is clearer.
We’ve often talked about labels; some adjectives act as labels, effectively pointing to the noun as “different.”

10 tools to tackle common problems journalists face

Columbia Journalism Review asked journalists what new tools and technology they use to help them do their jobs. Social media editors, curators, and reporters chimed in to tell us about tools that help them face some familiar challenges.

Links to the applications are included, alopng with with brief descriptions and recommendations.

To read the story, click here.

 

Webinar: Communicating and Collaborating Across Generations

With the country’s changing demographics – the workplace is different than five, 10 and 15 years ago. 
Learning objectives for the day:
- Understanding the different generations
- Old School, Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millenniums or Gen Y
- Techniques on creating a more productive workplace
- How to communicate effectively with each generation
- Techniques on what motivates each generation

6 ways to spread facts

The simple but frustrating truth is that facts alone are not enough to convince people. Even the most thorough, accurate piece of reporting might still be trumped by a poorly reasoned and false counterargument. Therefore, it's crucial to understand how to publish persuasive factual journalism.

Poynter's coffee break course, 6 ways to spread facts, offers tips for using facts to persuade.

Check out the link here.  

Journalist's Resource: Free tools for visualizing economic data

A growing number of research organizations are not only placing their data online, but giving users free tools to help visualize it. 
This overview of a few of these resources focuses especially on economic and development indicators.
Check out the Tip Sheet at https://journalistsresource.org/tip-sheets/research/tools-visualize-eco….

 

How to write stronger sentences with fewer adverbs

This article from poynter.org suggests writers look through a recent story for any word that ends in -ly. If it is an adverb, delete it and read the new sentence aloud. You'll see whether the adverb added power to the sentence or merely took up space.
For more on kicking out adverbs, see the full story: http://www.poynter.org/2017/how-to-write-stronger-sentences-with-fewer-…

Headliners Foundation offers FOI grants

AUSTIN — Community news organizations in Texas may be better equipped to pursue enterprise journalism with a new program by the Headliners Foundation of Texas to help reimburse the high costs of obtaining public records. 
“We have a history of support for Texas journalism,” said Mark Morrison, chair of the Headliners Foundation. “We hope this innovative approach will make a difference in smaller communities where it is needed.”

How to provide context when writing about numbers

Numbers crop up in media stories in the most unexpected places. Your goal is to provide context and the story behind the numbers. Here's how you can write about two terms — risk and rate — accurately and ethically.

Check out the full story and how to take an online coffee break course at Poynter News University.

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