#nicar26 — Public Fediverse posts

“If you like podcasts and computer-assisted investigative journalism you might enjoy this podcast feed of audio recordings from the 2024, 2025, and 2026 NICAR conferences.” - @john
https://github.com/bcks/nicar
#NICAR26 #DDJ

“If you like podcasts and computer-assisted investigative journalism you might enjoy this podcast feed of audio recordings from the 2024, 2025, and 2026 NICAR conferences.” - @john
https://github.com/bcks/nicar
#NICAR26 #DDJ

It was different attending the #NICAR26 data journalism conference this year now that I'm retired! And kind of strange not returning home to a newsroom.
My latest #NextChapter post:
https://nextchapter.machlis.com/posts/2026-03-15-attending-a-conference-as-a-retiree-this-time-with-former-peers/
#Retirement

It was different attending the #NICAR26 data journalism conference this year now that I'm retired! And kind of strange not returning home to a newsroom.
My latest #NextChapter post:
https://nextchapter.machlis.com/posts/2026-03-15-attending-a-conference-as-a-retiree-this-time-with-former-peers/
#Retirement

Now both the front end and back end for Investigative Reporters & Editors' new semantic-searchable archives -- unveiled at #NICAR26 -- have been open sourced 🎉🎉
Front end (SvelteKit): https://github.com/ireapps/ire-archive-frontend
Back end (FastAPI): https://github.com/ireapps/ire-archive-backend
#DDJ

Now both the front end and back end for Investigative Reporters & Editors' new semantic-searchable archives -- unveiled at #NICAR26 -- have been open sourced 🎉🎉
Front end (SvelteKit): https://github.com/ireapps/ire-archive-frontend
Back end (FastAPI): https://github.com/ireapps/ire-archive-backend
#DDJ

📚 I'm happy to release free, online textbooks covering the two courses I taught at the #NICAR26 data journalism conference put on by Investigative Reporters and Editors last week in Indianapolis.

📚 I'm happy to release free, online textbooks covering the two courses I taught at the #NICAR26 data journalism conference put on by Investigative Reporters and Editors last week in Indianapolis.

For an actual R- and Python-specific coding agent, Positron Assistant has an Agent mode. You can choose from a couple of different model providers, but alas it's all pay-per-use API -- you can't use a $20 Claude or ChatGPT subscription.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZW2tx5fHjk&t=2s
FYI #NICAR26

For an actual R- and Python-specific coding agent, Positron Assistant has an Agent mode. You can choose from a couple of different model providers, but alas it's all pay-per-use API -- you can't use a $20 Claude or ChatGPT subscription.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZW2tx5fHjk&t=2s
FYI #NICAR26

Hey R and Python folks at #NICAR26 looking at coding agents for data analysis: Databot from Posit (formerly RStudio) is another option. It's an assistant for the Positron IDE specifically designed for data work.
https://posit.co/blog/introducing-databot/
See a demo from September's Posit conference:
https://youtu.be/Ve7cNChzq5Q?si=NeEs2dzr9Vhpigps&t=1618
#RStats #Python

Hey R and Python folks at #NICAR26 looking at coding agents for data analysis: Databot from Posit (formerly RStudio) is another option. It's an assistant for the Positron IDE specifically designed for data work.
https://posit.co/blog/introducing-databot/
See a demo from September's Posit conference:
https://youtu.be/Ve7cNChzq5Q?si=NeEs2dzr9Vhpigps&t=1618
#RStats #Python

Semantra is an open-source tool for searching documents by meaning, not keywords. It aims "to make running a specialized semantic search engine easy, friendly, configurable, and private/secure." Developed by @dylan [NYTimes]
https://github.com/freedmand/semantra
(Needs #Python installed)
#NICAR26

Semantra is an open-source tool for searching documents by meaning, not keywords. It aims "to make running a specialized semantic search engine easy, friendly, configurable, and private/secure." Developed by @dylan [NYTimes]
https://github.com/freedmand/semantra
(Needs #Python installed)
#NICAR26

It was so interesting to hear at #NICAR26 how different newsrooms are - and aren't - using AI. The NY Times looks to have a very well thought out approach, always making sure human experts start and review any AI work.
(And they have some amazing internal tools)
#GenAI

It was so interesting to hear at #NICAR26 how different newsrooms are - and aren't - using AI. The NY Times looks to have a very well thought out approach, always making sure human experts start and review any AI work.
(And they have some amazing internal tools)
#GenAI

Interested in using AI skills for Claude/Codex in journalism? Check out Aaron Kessler's #NICAR26 session repo: https://github.com/amkessler/nicar2026_skills_in_codex_claude

Another great resource: Joe Amditis's skills collection for journalists/researchers/academics https://skills.amditis.tech/ [corrected link]

Interested in using AI skills for Claude/Codex in journalism? Check out Aaron Kessler's #NICAR26 session repo: https://github.com/amkessler/nicar2026_skills_in_codex_claude

Another great resource: Joe Amditis's skills collection for journalists/researchers/academics https://skills.amditis.tech/ [corrected link]

1/5 Follow. The. Money. If you missed this #NICAR26 talk I suggest taking a look at these slides as there's a lot of great data out there on government contracts. tinyurl.com/NICAR26-cont...

Interesting #NICAR26 session this AM on creating a background 'beat book' for local journalists based on a publication's archives, AND adding other data for more context. The idea seems transferable for other uses too.
Repo: https://github.com/NewsAppsUMD/nicar2026

Interesting #NICAR26 session this AM on creating a background 'beat book' for local journalists based on a publication's archives, AND adding other data for more context. The idea seems transferable for other uses too.
Repo: https://github.com/NewsAppsUMD/nicar2026

I've been at a few #NICAR26 Python AI sessions but haven't heard this package mentioned: chatlas from Posit (formerly RStudio) which lets you use LLMs from various providers. Might be of interest to some?
https://posit.co/blog/announcing-chatlas/
#GenAI #Python

I've been at a few #NICAR26 Python AI sessions but haven't heard this package mentioned: chatlas from Posit (formerly RStudio) which lets you use LLMs from various providers. Might be of interest to some?
https://posit.co/blog/announcing-chatlas/
#GenAI #Python

While I've been at #GenAI talks at #Nicar26: "GPT-5.4 is now available," OpenAI announced. "It completes complex tasks with less back-and-forth while using significantly fewer tokens than GPT-5.2."
New prompt guide: https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/guides/prompt-guidance

While I've been at #GenAI talks at #Nicar26: "GPT-5.4 is now available," OpenAI announced. "It completes complex tasks with less back-and-forth while using significantly fewer tokens than GPT-5.2."
New prompt guide: https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/guides/prompt-guidance

Behind the story: 14 stations collaborated on this project. 🙌 Coincidentally, I taught a spreadsheets course at #NICAR26 on the same day that this spreadsheet project aired after weeks in the making! Tune in tonight to @nbcnews.com-owned stations for the local version of how to save time & money.

Analyzing Images & Video with AI - Jonathan Soma's #NICAR26 session presentation
Links to lots of great Colab notebooks!
https://jsoma.github.io/workshop-ai-images-video/nicar-2026/
#GenAI #Python

Analyzing Images & Video with AI - Jonathan Soma's #NICAR26 session presentation
Links to lots of great Colab notebooks!
https://jsoma.github.io/workshop-ai-images-video/nicar-2026/
#GenAI #Python

R folks in Jonathan Soma's #NICAR26 session on Analyzing Images & Video with AI: The {ellmer} #RStats 📦 can request structured data, and you can use multiple providers & LLMs
Get started: https://ellmer.tidyverse.org/articles/ellmer.html
Structured data: https://ellmer.tidyverse.org/articles/structured-data.html

R folks in Jonathan Soma's #NICAR26 session on Analyzing Images & Video with AI: The {ellmer} #RStats 📦 can request structured data, and you can use multiple providers & LLMs
Get started: https://ellmer.tidyverse.org/articles/ellmer.html
Structured data: https://ellmer.tidyverse.org/articles/structured-data.html

25 free resources, presentations & tip sheets so far added to my searchable table of #NICAR26 materials, including
10 Things you Didn't Know You Could Do in R
AI Glossary for Journalists
Decoding Deportation Data
https://apps.machlis.com/shiny/nicar20_resources/
Plus lots from prior yrs
##RStats #Python #GenAI #DDJ

25 free resources, presentations & tip sheets so far added to my searchable table of #NICAR26 materials, including
10 Things you Didn't Know You Could Do in R
AI Glossary for Journalists
Decoding Deportation Data
https://apps.machlis.com/shiny/nicar20_resources/
Plus lots from prior yrs
##RStats #Python #GenAI #DDJ

Jonathan Soma's videos on No-Code Pipelines and AI Agents with n8n
bit.ly/nicar-workflows
#NICAR26 #GenAI

Jonathan Soma's videos on No-Code Pipelines and AI Agents with n8n
bit.ly/nicar-workflows
#NICAR26 #GenAI

Want to find out more about text mining with R? At his #NICAR26 presentation, Prof Rob Wells mentioned @juliasilge 's book on tidy text mining
https://www.tidytextmining.com/
She also has a free interactive online course https://juliasilge.com/blog/learn-tidytext-learnr/
The NICAR session GitHub repo: https://github.com/profrobwells/nicar2026/tree/main/NICAR_Text_Analysis_2026
#RStats

Want to find out more about text mining with R? At his #NICAR26 presentation, Prof Rob Wells mentioned @juliasilge 's book on tidy text mining
https://www.tidytextmining.com/
She also has a free interactive online course https://juliasilge.com/blog/learn-tidytext-learnr/
The NICAR session GitHub repo: https://github.com/profrobwells/nicar2026/tree/main/NICAR_Text_Analysis_2026
#RStats

For our #NICAR26 panel we threw together this free, open-source glossary of AI terms and foundational concepts that journalists should know. We will be adding to this! (Forked from prior work by @[email protected] @[email protected] et al) aiglossary.news

aiglossary.news

For our #NICAR26 panel we threw together this free, open-source glossary of AI terms and foundational concepts that journalists should know. We will be adding to this! (Forked from prior work by @[email protected] @[email protected] et al) aiglossary.news

aiglossary.news

On seeking data about immigration enforcement in the US: "Every records request should start with reporting", Will Craft from the Guardian tells #NICAR26. Know what you should ask for, he advised. "You have to be very very very precise." In other words: Do a lot of work prior to filing a FOIA.

On seeking data about immigration enforcement in the US: "Every records request should start with reporting", Will Craft from the Guardian tells #NICAR26. Know what you should ask for, he advised. "You have to be very very very precise." In other words: Do a lot of work prior to filing a FOIA.

Interesting takeaway via Duy Nguyen [NY TImes]: Various AI-based tools have different places in the journalism process. For ex. chatbots can be useful to get started and find story ideas; AI-powered semantic search is better if you have subject expertise & more targeted questions #NICAR26 #GenAI

Interesting takeaway via Duy Nguyen [NY TImes]: Various AI-based tools have different places in the journalism process. For ex. chatbots can be useful to get started and find story ideas; AI-powered semantic search is better if you have subject expertise & more targeted questions #NICAR26 #GenAI

Investigative and Research Journalist Audrey Nielsen demoing how reporters can collect and use state ethics disclosures to report on public officials and candidates for office. #NICAR26

Investigative and Research Journalist Audrey Nielsen demoing how reporters can collect and use state ethics disclosures to report on public officials and candidates for office. #NICAR26

This is neat: Visualping can monitor websites and has a free journalist plan! @[email protected] used this in her Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation that found unreported civilian casualties. #NICAR26

R folks listening to this morning's #NICAR26 session on extracting data from documents and - importantly! - how to check your results: You can set up and run evaluations of LLM results with the {vitals} #rstats 📦
https://www.infoworld.com/article/4130274/how-to-choose-the-best-llm-using-r-and-vitals.html #DDJ

R folks listening to this morning's #NICAR26 session on extracting data from documents and - importantly! - how to check your results: You can set up and run evaluations of LLM results with the {vitals} #rstats 📦
https://www.infoworld.com/article/4130274/how-to-choose-the-best-llm-using-r-and-vitals.html #DDJ

RE: https://mastodon.palewi.re/@palewire/116176285413735482

This looks like it will be a very cool resource for data journalism ⬇️⬇️⬇️
You need to be an Investigative Reporters & Editors member to access. Announced at the #NICAR26 data journalism conference #DDJ

RE: https://mastodon.palewi.re/@palewire/116176285413735482

This looks like it will be a very cool resource for data journalism ⬇️⬇️⬇️
You need to be an Investigative Reporters & Editors member to access. Announced at the #NICAR26 data journalism conference #DDJ

The site, which launched today at #NICAR26, is powered by semantic search technology. That means it will use AI to match results based on the meaning of your words, not just exact keyword hits.

The site, which launched today at #NICAR26, is powered by semantic search technology. That means it will use AI to match results based on the meaning of your words, not just exact keyword hits.

On Thursday I’ll be on a panel at #NICAR26 to talk about how I used FOIA to obtain records from municipal agencies that shed light on federal immigration raids, as well as the collaboration of Chicago journos that used OSINT to investigate feds’ use of tear gas. (Stories in thread)

Browse, search, and filter all the Bluesky posts about next week's NICAR 2026 data journalism conference - even if you're not on Bluesky. App collects all the posts with the #NICAR26 or #NICAR2026 hashtags
App: https://apps.machlis.com/shiny/nicar2026/
#RStats code: https://github.com/smach/bskyconf
#RShiny

[Did this for Twitter years ago back when their API was free and their algorithm was, um, different. Now updated. Sorry not also doing it here, but I didn't see anyone else posting about that conf here besides me.]

Browse, search, and filter all the Bluesky posts about next week's NICAR 2026 data journalism conference - even if you're not on Bluesky. App collects all the posts with the #NICAR26 or #NICAR2026 hashtags
App: https://apps.machlis.com/shiny/nicar2026/
#RStats code: https://github.com/smach/bskyconf
#RShiny

[Did this for Twitter years ago back when their API was free and their algorithm was, um, different. Now updated. Sorry not also doing it here, but I didn't see anyone else posting about that conf here besides me.]

RE: https://mastodon.palewi.re/@palewire/116119773803070204

"First LLM Classifier" is soooold out! #NICAR26 is ready to rip.

Fret not. You can still hit the wait list. And we will be releasing an online textbook with the full script for anyone to play at home.

RE: https://mastodon.palewi.re/@palewire/116119773803070204

"First LLM Classifier" is soooold out! #NICAR26 is ready to rip.

Fret not. You can still hit the wait list. And we will be releasing an online textbook with the full script for anyone to play at home.

Ooo just spotted on GitHub: Scraping Sports Data With R
"Three R notebooks with step by step instructions on how to scrape data when it's easy, when it's a little harder, and when it's the NCAA and is awful."
https://github.com/mattwaite/nicar-2026-scraping-sports-data-with-R
For a #NICAR26 #RStats workshop by Matt Waite

🤓 Coming to #NICAR26? Looking for things to do?

Join Scott Klein and me for a free dinner on Wed. night! OpenNews is hosting a discussion of our recent story on the state of open-source in journalism.

The full menu of community meals is at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1VON7P3DMKdVBWMKxYaJaHx-WniVpRHKiJeQJdy5Cz6I/edit?usp=sharing

Want to talk more about it? If you're attending the upcoming #NICAR26 conference in Indianapolis, you should join us for the OpenNews dinner we're sponsoring.

More details soon. DM me if you want in.

Conference app chatbot built in R that:
- Answers natural-language questions about the schedule
- Includes both chatbot and searchable table
- One-click button filters table to see only sessions AI bot mentions
Code: https://github.com/smach/NICAR2026_chatbot
App: https://smach-nicar2026-chatbot.share.connect.posit.cloud/
#RStats #RShiny #NICAR26