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Looking for resources to help you cover key topics? Specialized Reporting Institutes, funded by the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, are designed to give you the expertise and training you need.

At the SRI events, you'll get story ideas you can develop right away as well as in the future, plus the sources and resources to report with confidence and context.

After each SRI, Poynter's NewsU will publish resource pages featuring sites and sources anyone can use to cover each of these critical topics. You'll find lists of experts, key blogs and social media, authoritative websites and more, gathered by the journalists, educators and others at each live SRI event.

Interested in offering an SRI event? Here is information about developing a Specialized Reporting Institute.

Upcoming Training Events

• Iraq/Afghanistan War Veterans -- Battle on the Homefront, hosted by the New England Center for Investigative Reporting at Boston University, March 5-7 in Boston. For details about the event, including applications and time requirements, please visit www.necir-bu.org.

• Covering Globalization at the Local Level -- Beyond the G8/NATO Summits. Hosted by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, DePaul University and The Poynter Institute, which plan a workshop March 19-21 in Chicago. For details about The McCormick Specialized Reporting Institutes for 2012, including application information, please visit www.poynter.org/training.

• Covering Super PACs- Following the Money after Citizens United. Join the Sunlight Foundation, for a two-day training session for journalists. The training will take place April 21-22, 2012, in Washington D.C. Application information for this training session, from the Sunlight Foundation.

• Stress, Suicide and the Economy-- The Recession and Mental Health. Hosted by Local Media Foundation (formerly Suburban Newspapers of America) and Associated Press Media Editors, which plan a workshop this summer in Chicago.

• Covering Social Protest Movements in an Age of Social Media. Hosted by California State University, Fullerton, and the Orange County Press Club, which plan a workshop in October at Cal State Fullerton.

• Covering School Violence and Discipline. Hosted by Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, which plans a workshop in October in Chicago.

Resources

• Elections 2012: The Campaign for Social Media Social media will play an unprecedented role in all 2012 elections--local and national. This list of resources will help you take full advantage of social media in your coverage of this political season.

• Resources for Covering Islam and Muslims in America How do U.S. journalists remain accurate and balanced in their coverage of the Muslim community in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which changed the way Islam is viewed by the public? Use the resource on this page to learn about Islam and the role it plays as a religion and a cultural influence.

• Census Coverage: Going Deep with Demographic and Economic Data Most people don't realize the ways in which the data gathered by the U.S. Census Bureau is used even though it has tremendous impact on them. This course, a collection of videos and PowerPoint presentations, will show you how you can access the wide range of demographic, economic and other available census data to tell powerful stories about your community.

• Political Polling Political polls play an important role in every election but can be tricky for journalists trying to determine their validity. This page will help you get the resources you need to scrutinize and report on those polls, factoring in ever-expanding technology such as online polling and automated polls.

• Covering Public Pensions Local governments are struggling to find the money for underfunded pensions. This page will help you get the resources you need to tell those stories.

• Follow the Money: Tracking Stimulus Dollars and Covering the Budget Crisis in Your Community It's been two years since Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. How have stimulus funds been used in your community? Learn how to track the dollars that have come to your area.

• Covering the Impact of the Economic Crisis on American Families The economic crisis is more than a national business story; its effects trickle down to the families in the communities you cover. Get the resources you need to tell their stories.

• Investigating Local Government on a Budget Newsrooms and their budgets keep shrinking but their interest in doing investigative watchdog journalism keeps growing. These resources are designed to help anyone with a large community interest and small budget.

• Covering the Gulf Oil Disaster The effects of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico will be felt for years. Get the resources you need to understand conflicting reports and tell stories with context.

About SRIs
SRIs are designed to meet the growing need to provide journalists and others with subject-specific expertise and practical reporting training in key issues. (Here are previous SRI topics, hosts and locations.) An SRI is organized and administered by a non-profit host, which plans and carries out the program. The training event convenes a diverse group of journalists, often from small to mid-sized news organizations, plus educators, for a program lasting two to three days. Participants represent all media platforms, and grant funds cover all or most of participants’ travel, lodging and tuition.