Statistical and Demographic Resources
for Journalists
- Atlapedia
Online
- "Full color physical
and political maps as well as key facts and statistics on countries of the
world. The 'Countries A to Z' section, provides facts, figures and statistical
data on geography, climate, people, religion, language, history, economy &
more..for each individual country. The 'World Maps' section, provides full
color physical and political maps for regions of the world."
- America's
Career InfoNet
- This site was designed
for job seekers and career planners, but it is a very good source of statistics
on the current job market covering employment outlook, wages and trends, and
state profiles including the state's demographics, economic data, educational
institutions, cultural resources, and recreation sites.
- FedStats
- Publicly available statistics
from over 70 Federal agencies. Now, Internet users can find the information
they need, without having to know in advance which agency, or agencies, produce
the data.
- Geographic
Information Centre, Walter Hitschfeld (McGill)
- An extensive collection
of links to online GIS Datasets, Electronic Reference &Ê Atlases, Statistics,
Canada Geography Files, and Census Data
- Infonation
- A service provided by
the United Nations -- a "two-step database that allows you to view and
compare the most up-to-date statistical data for the Member States of the
United Nations."
- MapInfo
- Demographic reports --
put in an address to get back demographics within a 1-mile, 2-mile and 3-mile
radius, including Household Characteristics like mobility, and number of occupants,
and Education & Occupation Characteristics.
-
Math for Journalists
- Bruce Garrison of Miami
University has put together this remedial tutorial on: Vocabulary - Doing
Percent Change - Figuring Averages - Rates - Ratios. Unfortunately he output
PowerPoint slides to large, slow loading gif files instead of simply typing
the information out on a page. But if you're desperate for the information
it might be worth the wait.
- Media
Resource Services
- "The Media Resource
Service is a program of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society. The service
puts journalists in touch with reputable sources of scientific information."
- Online
Catalogue of Geological Data
- Worldwide geological
data including maps, well logs and seismic sections. Over 60,000 items in
the library database from Earth Sciences and Resources Institute, University
of South Carolina.
- Online
Polling Offers Mixed Results: A Survey Methods Comparison
- This Pew Research Center
study compares online surveys to telephone surveys and discusses some possible
factors that may account for what sometimes turned out to be sharp differences.
- Progress
of Nations, The
- "
an annual
scorecard of the social health of nations, records achievements in the form
of statistics that measure fulfilment of minimum human needs."
This is the 1997 edition. It is published yearly by UNICEF.
- Quick
Facts: Statistics and Public Opinion
- Statistics on media
usage, content industries and issues.
- Red
Cross - International
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
- Among the resources here:
Maps, facts and figures, reports, news releases and publications on the countries
(over 50) in which the ICRC is currently active. Issues and topics: Thematic
information covering issues such as antipersonnel mines, blinding weapons,
water and war. International Humanitarian Law: What it is, the texts, their
application and analysis, together with a special section for armed forces.
Access to the IHL database.
- Reporting
Census 2000 A Guide for Journalists
- Created by Stephen K.
Doig, Cronkite School of Journalism, Arizona State University "This website,
created thanks to a generous grant from the Russell Sage Foundation, is designed
to help journalists and others make good use of the coming flood of Census
data."
- Social
Science Research Network
- Social Science Research
Network (SSRN) is devoted to the rapid worldwide dissemination of social science
research and is composed of a number of specialized research networks in each
of the social sciences. Categories:Accounting, Economics, Financial Economics,
Latin American, Legal Scholarship, and Litigation Support Network.
- Social
Statistics Briefing Room (SSBR)
- Easy access to current
Federal social statistics maintained by the relevant Federal agencies. "All
the estimates for the indicators presented in the Federal Statistics Briefing
Rooms are the most currently available values."
- STATS - Statistical Assessment
Service
- "STATS serves as
a resource for journalists by providing timely and well-researched analysis
of current statistical and scientific disputes. Since STATS seeks to weed
out bad data and research before it enters the media stream, we field queries
from journalists on a regular basis."
- Statistical
Databases for UN Research
- "United Nations
InfoNation: A rich information resource on country-wise statistical data on
all UN related subject fields. Allows user, through a frame-based interface
to select up-to seven of 185 countries and four of 37 variables. Retrieval
for current year only, provides a snapshot view of country information."
Maintained by the United Nations Pakistan - Virtual Library
- Statistics
Every Writer Should Know
- Basic concepts and advice
on simple data analysis by Robert Niles.
- Statistical
Resources on the Web
- Agriculture, Business
and Industry, Comprehensive Subjects, Consumers Cost-of-Living, Demographics,
Economics, Education, Energy, Environment, Finance, Foreign Government Data
Sources, Foreign/International Economics, Foreign Trade, Government Finances,
Health, Housing, Labor, Military, Politics, Science, Sociology, Tourism, Transportation,
Weather.
- TRAC
On-Line
- Transactional Records
Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) "is a nonprofit organization at the Newhouse
School, Syracuse University, which helps reporters find and analyze data about
federal law enforcement agencies. It provides datasets on-line, on tape or
diskette (i.e., U.S. Justice Dept records, IRS records, etc.); performs research
on federal agencies for media; and provides training."
- United
Nations Population Information Network (POPIN)
- POPIN is a decentralized
community of population institutions organized into regional and national
networks in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean,
Europe and Northern America.
-
Suggestions,
corrections and comments for Journalism and Mass Communication Resources
to Karla-Tonella@uiowa.edu
Page updated
February 11, 2003