Poynter’s Try This! — Tools for Journalism Newsletter

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Try This! — Tools for Journalism is a newsletter to bring you news, updates and tutorials about the best digital tools for journalists and other online communicators.

This newsletter is for everyone, whether you’re so digital you’re made up of ones and zeros or an internet neophyte. It comes from Ren LaForme, Poynter’s digital tools reporter, and was originally published every Tuesday morning. (This newsletter is currently paused!)

Resubscribing to Try This? Click here.

PAST EDITIONS

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Four digital tools that got me through the pandemic

Ren LaForme

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Sharpen your toolkit with 50 new tools and resources for journalists

Jeremy Caplan

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Tools to find, track and level-up job applications

Mandy Hofmockel

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38+ tools and resources to improve Zoom, follow the election and to make your autumn a bit easier

Jeremy Caplan

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Here are some digital tools for a more productive — and fun — summer

Jeremy Caplan

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Here are 30+ tools, tips and resources for journalists to try this summer

Jeremy Caplan

FILE - In this April 23, 2020 file photo, members of the Vermont House of Representatives convene in a Zoom video conference for its first full parliamentary online session in Montpelier, Vt. With people’s social lives moved indefinitely online, a bevy of tech companies want to unseat fast-rising Zoom from its perch, given security concerns and other issues with the video-calling service. There’s Houseparty, Jitsy, along with offerings from Google and Microsoft. Now, Facebook is stepping into the fray, hoping that its massive user base will give it the needed edge to drown out the competition in this already crowded field. (Wilson Ring/Zoom via AP)

Weeks into the coronavirus pandemic, here are some tools that are actually worth using

Jeremy Caplan

A commuter wears a face mask in the New York City transit system, Monday, March 9, 2020, in New York. New York continued grappling Monday with the new coronavirus, as case numbers, school closings and other consequences grew. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Here are the tools and technology journalists are using to tell the coronavirus story

Ren LaForme

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Looking for data? Thanks to Google, the last dataset search tool you’ll ever need is here.

Ren LaForme

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Podcasting has a discoverability problem. Here’s a tool that can solve that.

Ren LaForme

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Why Telegram might be the next big messaging app. Plus: A critical new Instagram feature and a browser update you should make ASAP

Ren LaForme

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This tool illuminates the hidden hands of special interest groups in legislation across the U.S.

Ren LaForme

A series of screenshots from video editing tool InShot.

Mobile video editing just keeps getting easier, plus good news from Google and a tool for plotting meeting times

Ren LaForme

An example image of SAM Desk, a tool that The New York Times' Malachy Browne uses for newsgathering. (screenshot/samdesk.io)

The tools the New York Times uses for online investigations, tips to fix Wi-Fi problems and how to deep search Instagram

Ren LaForme

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Publishers reach audiences with social media, newsletters and even calendars. What about text messages?

Ren LaForme

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This AI text generator can replace human writers. The semi-coherent ones, at least.

Ren LaForme

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Coda is an all-in-one document tool that could fix your story budget and editorial planning woes

Ren LaForme

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Bookmark these must-have digital tools to plan your next vacation

Ren LaForme

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This tool is going to shape the future of podcasting — and possibly misinformation

Ren LaForme

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Data journalism solves big problems, but it’s an organizational mess. A new tool from the AP aims to fix that.

Ren LaForme

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Here’s how to filter and delete your old tweets — and why that’s an OK thing to do

Ren LaForme

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Take notes on your phone? Make sure to unlock your app’s full potential.

Ren LaForme

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An examination of a viral YouTube video reveals a cautionary tale for the news media

Ren LaForme

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Tools to liberate scholarly articles, help sources understand journalism and publish printable online zines

Ren LaForme

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The New York Times released its intensive internal data boot camp to the public

Ren LaForme

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Tools to fix your noisy video chats, send emails with confidence and improve your newsletters

Ren LaForme

A virtual rendering of The Poynter Institute from Google Earth Studio

Tools to record the (virtual) world, clean up your Google searches and quiet your phone when you need to focus

Ren LaForme

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In praise of the morning newsletter

Ren LaForme

Screenshots from Tune, a Chrome plugin from Jigsaw that filters out toxic comments (Ren LaForme)

Jigsaw is fixing comment sections, one language at a time

Ren LaForme

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WhatsApp’s breach is proof that online privacy takes a little work

Ren LaForme

A pile of detritus on my desk from the early stages of a recent feature story (Ren LaForme/Poynter)

Don’t forego the last-minute scavenge and other tips to consider when publishing long stories

Ren LaForme

Clockwise from left: “In Search of Water-Boiled Fish” by Eater, “100 Most Jewish Foods” by Tablet Magazine and “What’s in a Food Truck?” from The Washington Post (Ren LaForme/Poynter)

The food journalism world is rife with innovative storytelling

Ren LaForme

Photo illustration by Ren LaForme

Your metrics might be spoiled, top tools from a NYT bureau chief, rummaging through Instagram for useful posts

Ren LaForme

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It’s hard to start a media company in 2019. But it needed to be done.

Ren LaForme

Clayne Crawford, from left, Adelaide Clemens, Aden Young, Ray McKinnon, Abigail Spencer, Luke Kirby, J. Smith-Cameron, Bruce McKinnon, and Jake Austin Walker, participate in the "Rectify" panel during the AMC Networks Television Critics Association summer press tour on Sunday, July 31, 2016, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP)

What does a wondrous news product look like?

Ren LaForme

The front page of the first edition of The Marshall Project's News Inside.

The Marshall Project’s new publication for jails and prisons is revolutionary in its simplicity

Ren LaForme

An example of an image comparison tool called TwentyTwenty, as seen in the Jarkarta Post. (Ren LaForme/Poynter)

Interactive tools to visualize change, secrets to finding contact information online and a quiz to solve journalism’s vexing issues

Ren LaForme

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It’s time for journalism to stop “pushing” and start “pulling”

Ren LaForme

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Calendars might be the next great online publishing tool

Ren LaForme

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Shut down your devices on Friday in observance of the National Day of Unplugging

Ren LaForme

Measuring audience loyalty

Newsrooms are finally focusing on loyalty over pageviews. Here’s how to actually measure it.

Ren LaForme

The Nuzzel app "provides industry news and media intelligence to busy professionals." (Ren LaForme/Poynter)

Offline for a few hours? Here’s the best app to catch up on the news.

Ren LaForme

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Don’t launch a newsletter like I did. Use this guide to get it right from the start.

Ren LaForme

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Tools to remove backgrounds from images, find dimensions of objects and edit photos on iPads

Ren LaForme

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Quit keeping Gmail in an open browser tab. There’s a better way.

Ren LaForme

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Apps on your phone might be tracking your every move. Here’s how to stop them.

Ren LaForme

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America prefers to watch its news on TV

Ren LaForme

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The latest AI-enhanced gadget you’re using is probably not actually ‘intelligent’

Ren LaForme

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Black Friday 2018 will likely change how journalists do their jobs

Ren LaForme

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Black Friday 2018 will likely change how journalists do their jobs

Ren LaForme

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Illinois has a comprehensive new public salaries database. Does your state?

Ren LaForme

Photo by Cory M. Grenier via Flickr.

How to choose the best data visualization tool for you

Ren LaForme

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Your election results infographics are built and ready to go

Ren LaForme

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Two-thirds of Americans say they know about social media bots, but few know much

Ren LaForme

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Google’s new dataset search is a game-changer, plus 10 tools for investigative journalism

Ren LaForme

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12+ tools and resources useful during hurricanes and other disasters

Ren LaForme

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Why The Washington Post and other news orgs are livestreaming on this video game platform

Ren LaForme

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Good news for newsletter writers: Americans check email more than ever, even at dinner

Ren LaForme

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How one journalist built a free resource that has coached hundreds of women in journalism

Ren LaForme

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The biggest tech story of our times is the way tech is changing our brains

Ren LaForme

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How to delete all your tweets (or just the worst ones)

Ren LaForme

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Bookmark these databases to find deeper stories and enrich your journalism with data

Ren LaForme

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Snapchat opened up all its public snaps to journalists

Ren LaForme

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How do journalists report on communities that exist entirely online?

Ren LaForme

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The best tools to unclog your overflowing email inbox

Ren LaForme

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Three ideas to try this week: Immersive projects, evergreen mining and ICYMI newsletters

Ren LaForme

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The Supreme Court just struck a major victory for digital privacy

Ren LaForme

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The best tools and tech to create a podcast in 2018

Ren LaForme

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Here’s what Apple’s latest iOS update means for journalists

Ren LaForme

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How to protect yourself as the battle for responsible technology wages

Ren LaForme

USA Today app

The latest USA Today app has the push notification features we all deserve

Ren LaForme

Mobile-optimized

This tool transforms print pages into social and mobile-ready stories

Ren LaForme

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Adapting to digital isn’t just about learning new things. It’s about deciding what to let go.

Ren LaForme

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The case for reimagining news as a finite product

Ren LaForme

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How to get notified when audiences post your work to Reddit

Ren LaForme

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Journalists, it’s unethical to ignore your online security

Ren LaForme

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What do we do when the sites we use shut down? Tech’s problems are our problems.

Ren LaForme

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Flipboard has reclaimed its crown as a top source of traffic for news websites

Ren LaForme

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News publishers are tracking plenty of data, too. Here’s how to see what yours is looking at

Ren LaForme

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A tool for unrolling Twitter threads, JFK’s lost speech recreated and your worst Black Mirror nightmares

Ren LaForme

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After being laid off, a film critic used a tool to help carry his audience to new projects

Ren LaForme

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Someday we’ll have the technology we deserve. Here’s how to expedite the process

Ren LaForme

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This tool can record your phone calls and make transcripts of them within minutes

Ren LaForme

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Where have all the big, wow-inducing digital stories gone?

Ren LaForme

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Journalism is going to keep changing. Learn when to change, too

Ren LaForme

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Tools are supposed to work for us. So why do we let our phones dictate our lives?

Ren LaForme

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Scheduling meetings doesn’t have to be painful. Here’s a tool to do it for you

Ren LaForme

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Two solutions for creating safe and unforgettable passwords (and preventing nuclear scares)

Ren LaForme

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Fake apps can steal your information. Here’s how to detect them

Ren LaForme

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How SPJ Florida used real fake news and bits of paper to teach people about journalism

Ren LaForme

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Fear of change is keeping you from using the latest and greatest tools

Ren LaForme

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Resolve to master new tools, improve your social media game and fix those passwords

Ren LaForme

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Your 17 favorite tools for journalism from 2017

Ren LaForme

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Who’s that interrogating you? These tools can help you avoid a sting

Ren LaForme

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Drop the jargon and write like a human with the help of this tool

Ren LaForme

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The digital tools for journalists we’re most thankful for this year

Ren LaForme

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This essential newsroom tool is getting an upgrade

Ren LaForme

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It’s a journalist’s duty to keep collected information safe. Here are some ways to get started.

Ren LaForme

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Facebook is testing features that turn its livestreaming tool into a powerhouse

Ren LaForme

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How to find the useful information hidden on every website

Ren LaForme

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Bot or not? How to tell if that person subtweeting you is real

Ren LaForme

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Try This: Podcasting made audio great again. It could be even better. Two tools to help.

Ren LaForme

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Try This: Four ways to organize your work, including an IKEA-inspired toolkit

Ren LaForme

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Try This: The news bots are coming. Do you know how to build yours?

Ren LaForme

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Try This: Here’s an easy hack to unearth the best articles from your archives

Ren LaForme

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Try This: The most useful apps, tools and sites we used during Hurricane Irma

Ren LaForme

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Try This: The videos you shoot with your phone make people dizzy. Here’s how to fix that.

Ren LaForme