Think about it: No one makes a big deal about "telephone-assisted reporting." Is the term "computer-assisted reporting" (CAR) getting to that point?

Following on the heels of Peter Zollman's interesting discussion, "Why Is It Still Called 'Presstime'?" I noticed that in the last couple of years I, personally, haven't heard many news professionals specifically saying "computer-assisted reporting."

CAR used to be all the rage. But nowadays, I doubt there's much reporting that isn't "computer assisted" in one way or another -- from Google and DexOnline to campaign finance databases. More specific terms, like "data mining," appear to be in ascendance from what I hear. What are you hearing?

I'm not saying that traditional shoeleather reporting techniques are fading, or that CAR skills are less crucial. In fact, they're both probably more important than ever because they complement each other so well.

I wonder if this subject came up at the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting conference held this past weekend in Newark, NJ?