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Hacks + Hackersgot underway, journalists noted thecoincidence of our names on Twitterso we reached out to each other. All ofus recognized the benefit of bringingtogether people from these disparatefields to use technology to help findand tell stories in the public interest.Since then, Hacks/Hackers haslaunched a blog (http://hackshackers.com) and a question-and-answer Website (http://help.hackshackers.com)where leading technologists and journalistsfrom across the world respondto questions and share ideas. We’vebeen thrilled at how much interest theQ. and A. site has generated since itslaunch in mid-April.In the Bay Area, we’ve held monthlyevents that have brought togetherdozens of people from companies suchas Google, Yahoo!, Twitter, the SanFrancisco Chronicle, San Jose MercuryNews, and Current Media, along withother technology and media start-upsand freelancers. Events are spreadingto more cities. In early May a groupgot together in Washington, D.C. inpartnership with the Online NewsAssociation; similar gatherings arein the planning stages for New Yorkand Chicago.Toward the end of May, we metin San Francisco—partnering withKQED, the most listened to NPRstation in the country—to build newsapplications for the iPad and tabletdevices. Part journalistic exercise,part hack weekend, the journalistswere charged with finding a story totell while the engineers brought theirinsights and tools to find new ways totell a story. At the end of the weekend,they presented their work to an expertpanel including a venture capitalist,start-up CEO, and journalists.It turns out that technology peopleare often news junkies. The mostskilled hackers are good at what theydo because they can quickly consumeinformation and learn how to dosomething new. Hackers, like journalists,believe strongly in freedom ofinformation, embodied in the opennature of the Internet. When Twitterheld its first conference for developersin April, CEO Evan Williams said thecompany was guided by the fundamentalphilosophy that “the open exchangeof information has a positive impacton the world.”Still, the conversations betweenhacks and hackers haven’t always beenharmonious. At a Hacks/Hackers panelin February with companies that buildpersonalized news aggregation sites,entrepreneurs faced a barrage of questionsabout how to fairly compensatecontent creators for their work. Butthe panelists themselves admittedthat they weren’t making any money.We’re all trying to figure out whatworks, and that’s really the key toinnovation: a tolerance for failureand embrace of experimentation. Atits core, that’s what Hacks/Hackersis all about. Burt Herman has reported fromaround the world as a bureau chiefand correspondent for The AssociatedPress. A 2008-2009 John S.Knight journalism fellow at StanfordUniversity, he tweets @burtherman.Joining Digital Forces Strengthens Local InvestigativeReporting‘Our goal is to build online tools that the people can easily use to enhance theirability as watchdogs—whether they are citizens or journalists.’BY BRANT HOUSTONDuring the past year journalists,citizens and even some governmentofficials have focused onthe need to replenish the diminishingamount of investigative reporting donenationally and at statehouses. Butthere hasn’t been as much concernexpressed about the reduction of publicaccountability journalism in cities andsuburbs, rural areas, and counties. Andwhen this topic is discussed, few viablesolutions are emerging at a timewhen metro and local papers struggleto simply cover breaking news andessential beats. There are hyperlocaland online citizen efforts, but they tooneed more resources and tools.Digital media’s capabilities mightprovide ways to hold public agenciesaccountable while expanding journalists’role as community watchdogs. Thispotential comes from several sources:• Ever increasing streams of information—includingpublic recorddatabases—are now available onlinefrom local public agencies.• A drive to create digital toolscapable of shaping and channelingthose streams so they can bebetter understood and more easilyanalyzed.• Collaboration between journalists,computer programmers, and informationscientists helps journalistsand citizens use these tools moreeffectively.Mining Public DataWhile local government agencies oftendeny traditional requests for informa-Nieman Reports | Summer 2010 59