Best Tools I Used in 2020, Part I

Editor’s note: Part II will run in the Jan. 12 newsletter.

Happy almost-New Year, everyone. We’re all excited to see 2020 in the rearview mirror, but some good did come out of it. In a year like no other, we look back at some of the favorite tools we shared with you since we launched this newsletter on June 30:

• Journalist Studio | A collection of Google data visualization tools, including a new chart-making tool called Common Knowledge.

• GlideApps.com | The free version of the software lets you build a web-based mobile app you can save to your phone or tablet home screen using nothing more than a spreadsheet. You’ll be reading more about this app in a future guest newsletter from CUNY’s Jeremy Caplan.

• AirTable | Offers a variety of table templates beyond just sharing raw data. It has project management templates specific to video and other digital projects, and you can add many design and color-coded features to the tables. Embeds easily into a site and has great filters and search built-in.

• Happs.tv: Free platform to stream live video from your phone or desktop. Download the phone app and set up an account there or on the desktop version. Think of it as a “LinkedIn for Broadcasters.” Individual journalists can create home pages, go live from anywhere and followers are notified on their home screens.

  It offers many more features than periscope and follows a modified Substack model so it can be monetized. Team pages, where a newsroom can have a group of reporter accounts, can be set up by Happs staff. It’s worth experimenting with as the interface is intuitive and fun to use.

• GovernmentAttic.org | Provides electronic copies of thousands of interesting Federal Government documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. 

• Diverse Sources | A database of experts features underrepresented voices and perspectives in science, health and environment work. The News Media Alliance offers tips on how to find diverse sources.

• 10 Journalism Jobs and a Photo of My Dog | A curated newsletter list of journalism jobs from across the U.S. with links back to the original source so you can follow up with potential employers.

• Race & Gender Hotline | SPJ partnered with paid, experienced Black and LGBT journalists and educators, including the Trans Journalists Association, to provide a 24/7 hotline to answer journalists’ questions. 

• The Journalism 360 project released the Guide to Immersive Ethics, authored by McClatchy’s Jayson Chesler and Theresa Poulson.

• And finally: Journalist’s Toolbox! We redesigned over the summer, added thousands of new links, more than 50 training videos and this newsletter.

Around the Web …

Newspaper Names from the US and Canada is a project by Jay Rosen and others to categorize newspaper names. This Twitter thread explains what they’re doing with the list of 489 English language papers, sorted by state and city.

• Get more: Dig into the resources in Journalist’s Toolbox. Free, easy to use and helpful: JournalistsToolbox.org | Subscribe to YouTube channel | Subscribe to this newsletter

In Quotes …

“In a world where everyone is a publisher, no one is an editor … that is the danger we face today.”

— Scott Pelley in a speech at Quinnipiac University on 10 May 2013. YouTube video.

Share

Follow us: @journtoolbox |  JournalistsToolbox | Subscribe on YouTube

Copyright 2020 | Society of Professional Journalists