CAR is short for computer-assisted reporting. It’s a term that was adopted, probably for lack of a better one, to describe the use of various computer tools in the pursuit of stories and the specialized techniques that journalists have developed using those tools. It also encompasses the use of methods borrowed from the social sciences, such as quantitative analysis and social network analysis, in the practice of journalism. For this reason, it has also been described as “precision journalism,” after Philip Meyer’s seminal book of the same name.

Most broadly, CAR includes everything from online research to sophisticated statistical analysis.  In between, is a range of techniques that can be used to do everything from making deadline stories better to driving investigative projects. Increasingly, CAR also means putting data online for the audience, often through visualization techniques that let readers “see” the data in maps, graphics and other formats. Web frameworks such as Django let high-end users create customized web content such as the Pulitzer-Prize-winning Politifact.com.

You won’t find much about online research here as that subject is well covered on other sites such as Julian Sher’s Journalismnet (see links page). What you will find here is a smorgasbord of resources for those using tools such as spreadsheets, database managers and mapping software to help develop stories.

These techniques have been behind many of the biggest stories published in Canada in the past few years. We’ve gathered a list on this site. 

If you are looking for tips on using popular software programs you will find them here. If you are looking for basic instruction in Excel, look first at our basic guide, a downloadable pdf document, then our library of Excel tips. For more depth on Excel and Microsoft Access databases, an excellent Canadian source is Digging Deeper, A Canadian Reporter’s Research Guide, published by Oxford University Press. Computer-Assisted Reporting, a Practical Guide, from St. Martin’s Press, is also excellent, using U.S. examples.

This site also has links to online sources of data from Canadian governments and government agencies, so you won’t have to look far for data.

We also have tips on using Canada’s various freedom of information and access to information statutes and a selection of important court and information commissioner decisions that may help you in formulating your own requests and appeals.