Journalists don’t do math? In an age of open data, that’s an excuse that no longer flies.  The list below, compiled from the smart people on the NICAR listserv thanks to a request from The Associated Press’ Michelle Minkoff, contains resources to help you get started with the basics of statistics and data analysis.

1. “New Precision Journalism” by Phillip Meyer (Book)

“The New Precision Journalism” shows journalists and students of journalism how to use the new technology to analyze data and provide more precise information in easier-to-understand form. It covers the history of journalism in the scientific tradition, various elements and techniques of data analysis, the use of statistics, computers, surveys, and field experiments, database applications, how to do an election survey, and the politics of precision journalism. This is an important resource for working journalists and an indispensable text for all journalism majors.

2. ”How to Lie with Statistics” by Darrell Huff (Book)

 Darrell Huff runs the gamut of every popularly used type of statistic, probes such things as the sample study, the tabulation method, the interview technique, or the way results are derived from the figures, and points up the countless number of dodges which are used to fool rather than to inform.

In this project-based course, you will have the opportunity to answer a question that you feel passionately about through independent research based on existing data. Students will have the opportunity to develop skills in generating testable hypotheses, preparing data for analysis, conducting descriptive and inferential statistical analyses, and presenting research findings.

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Code With Me — the traveling two-day workshops that teach journalists the basics of HTML, CSS and javascript — is making its way to Portland, Ore. in May, and deadline to apply is tomorrow night.

This is the third and largest yet workshop organized by ProPublica’s Sisi Wei and The New York Times’ Tom Giratikanon. In August, they hosted a workshop in Washington, D.C. and went to Miami in February.  May’s workshop will bring together mentors and students from the Pacific Northwest region — including Seattle, where I’m located.

Wei and Giratikanon’s style of teaching is one of the most effective I’ve seen for programming yet — it’s a 2:1 student:mentor ratio, meaning individual attention and a closer, freer environment for asking questions without leaving the whole group behind. As someone who has both trained large groups of students and tried to take larger instructive workshops to learn, the only way that really sticks is one-on-one.

This program is truly for beginners.  Here’s the applicant eligibility criteria:

• You must be a journalist or a student studying journalism
• You must have little or no coding experience

If you know anyone in the Pacific Northwest — or someone who is willing to travel to Portland — spread the word. Deadline to apply is April 6 at 9:00 p.m. PST.   If you can’t make it to Portland but know your town would be perfect for an event like this, email the team.

Extend your social media impact and collaborate with experts in our Social Media Marketing Boot Camp. Save $100 with our early bird rate. Don’t miss out — this special rate ends tomorrow.

Each week, we’ll discuss essential topics with social media thought leaders that will help you develop a cohesive marketing strategy and amplify your presence across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media platforms. Read more

On October 18, Mediabistro brings you Social Media Marketing Boot Camp, an interactive online event and workshop. The event includes keynote speakers, practical how-to sessions, and strategic assignments to provide a dynamic training on social media. By the end of eight weeks, you will create an integrated strategic plan using various social media platforms to build an engaged audience and convert traffic into sales.

Early bird rates are available today. Save $100 when you sign up before they end tomorrow, September 20.

Our speakers include:

Michael Bepko, Global Online Community Manager, Whole Foods

Brian Carter, Author, LinkedIn For Business

Keidra Chaney, Digital Content Strategist, The Web Farm

Lauren Cucinotta, Branding + Editorial Manager, TEDx

Jennifer Dubrow, Global Social Business Transformation Leader, Inside Sales, IBM

Frank Eliason, Senior Vice President of Social Media, Citibank

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It’s back-to-school season, and because Mediabistro’s core is education, the site has a timely contest this week that just involves telling the Twittersphere about a favorite teacher. Why’s that worthy of a post here? Well, teachers rock, but so does the contest– one tweet and you get $50 credit towards a course class useful for your digital storytelling.

So you win. Automatically. And can learn more stuff.

Also, if your tweet is the best, you get an entirely free course. In-person or online.

Anyone with a Twitter account who participates with a 140 character or less story about a teacher gets a $50 credit toward any Mediabistro course (they’ll DM you the promo code, which means you need to follow @Mediabistro, too). The top five best tweets get $100 credit toward any Mediabistro course. And again, the winner gets a free Mediabistro course. Read more