EveryBlock programme offers new tools for local reporting

Posted by Emily Dilling on July 6, 2009 at 5:31 AM

The release of EveryBlock's computer code was a "much anticipated" event for journalists who report on local and regional news, Regina McCombs at Poynter Online reported.

Thanks to a US$1.1 million grant from Knight News Challenge, the team behind EveryBlock, led by Adrian Holovaty, were able to create a site that organises and displays public data and records according to their location. The result is a break-down of crime statistics, trends in the housing market, and other local news corresponding to the neighbourhoods they relate.

While EveryBlock currently only covers 15 cities, the conditions of the grant require making the code public, which happened last week, much to the delight of local journalist programmers who are smitten with the brilliance of the program as well as its utility.

"We want to take the things that these really, really talented developers have built and plug them into places we can take advantage of" said Ryan Pitts, the senior editor for digital media for the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, WA.

While many news organizations are experimenting with EveryBlock as well as similar programs of their own, the breadth of its application seems limitless. "There's nothing stopping a news org from taking it directly or tailoring it to what they want to do" digital development director of the Indianapolis Star Chris Vannoy said.