The Electronic Trail

Computer-assisted Research and Reporting in the Philippines

Finalist: National Book Award for Journalism (1997), out of print

THE DIGITAL revolution has had profound consequences on the way of doing journalism. Computers and modems have made it possible to transmit almost instantaneously large amounts of information from anywhere on the planet with a telephone. But more than that, the new technology has also made available to journalists a whole new world of research and reporting possibilities.

This book provides reader-friendly guides to using available computer software and maximizing the use of electronic databases, online libraries, email, newsgroups, electronic bulletin boards, listservs, and of course, the land of promise called the World Wide Web. The Electronic Trail also cites the real-life examples of journalists who have done trail-blazing research and reporting using precisely these resources.

Although addressed specifically to journalists, this manual is also intended for other researchers—in schools, companies, government and NGOs—who are interested in using the full potential of their computers for their work.

© 1997, 207 pages, ISBN 971-8686-16-9