Excerpted by an article in the American Journalism Review
by Chip Rowe

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  The Internet has plenty of valuable resources for journalists. It's getting
to them that can be tricky.  Ask any journalist who knows his or her way
around the much-heralded 'Net for a quick intro and you'll get an earful of
terms like telnet, gopher and World Wide Web. But all you need to get started
is something much more familiar--electronic mail.  Once you've mastered
sending and receiving messages outside of your interoffice system,jumping
around the computer system of computer systems may seem a bitless foreboding.
  You can find and join E-mail discussion groups and other resources
described in the next few pages. 

 GREAT, I'VE GOT E-MAIL, .NOW WHAT DO I DO? 
Now that you've got an E-mail address, you can send messages, receive
messages and reach out and grab some background info.
  A popular and relatively painless way to introduce yourself to the types of
messages that are exchanged on the 'Net is to join "discussion groups" that
cover any number of topics.
  We'll focus on those related to journalism, but there are thousands of
others covering everything from rock 'n' roll to Mark Twain to public
transportation.
  With most E-mail discussion groups,everything you write is sent to every
person on the list, and everythingthey write comes to you.  There's usually a
"list owner" or "moderator"who makes sure the operation runs smoothly. 

 HOW DO I GET STARTED? You have to be careful to follow instructions, or
you'll attract the scorn of fellow group members and immediately brand
yourself as a "newbie."  To subscribe (free) to a group, you need to send a
simple E-mail message to a computer program (think of it as a robot) that
keeps track of members and distributes the group's E-mail.

  Let's use the Society of Professional Journalists' discussion group as an
example.
  Say your name is John Smith, and that your E-mail address is smith@aol.com.

 Your E-mail message would look like this: 
 To: listserv@netcom.com 
 Subject: [Leave this line blank] 
 Message: Subscribe SPJ-Online 
` In this case, listserv@netcom.com is the robot that SPJ uses to distribute
the group mail.  The message "Subscribe SPJ-Online" is the command telling
the robot to add your name to the subscription list and send you any E-mail
messages that are posted.  There should be nothing else in the message.
 Note: You may encounter discussion groups that use other mailing programs
such as "majordomo" or "mailserv. " Their commands are slightly different
(some may require you to include your name, for example), so be precise.

 Soon after you send your message (in some cases, your request is forwarded
to the list owner, who must approve your subscription), you should receive a
message confirming that you have been added to the list.
  For SPJ, this welcome message begins like this: 
"Welcome to the spj-online mailing list! If you ever want to remove yourself
from this mailing list, send the following command in E-mail to
"listserv@netcom.com": unsubscribe spj-online smith@ aol.com (JohnSmith)."
 Here's the general information for the list you've subscribed to, in case
you don't already have it: 
"Welcome to SPJ-Online A computerized resource of the Society of Professional
Journalists SPJ-Online is a mailing list created as an information resource
for journalists by the Society of Professional Journalists.  Discuss issues,
share tips, communicate with headquarters and national leaders, find out
about SPJ news, or whatever.  Make it fun and useful. Be sure to save this
message."

  It also includes instructions on how to post messages to the members of the
group and how to get help.
 There are other commands you can send to the robot.
 To get a file that outlines the commands the robot can understand, John
Smith would send this message: 
To: listserv@netcom.com 
Subject: [Again, leave this line blank] 
Message: Help.
  Be careful about where you direct your commands.  A common mistake is to
send commands meant for the robot to every member of the list.  The robot
address and the list address are always different.

I'm Ready To Rock. What Do You Suggest? 
There are dozens of discussion groups of interest to journalists.
Here are some to get started with:

SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS
 General discussion of journalism issues, research tips, current events and
research resources. Subscribers: 414 Address: listserv@netcom.com. Message:
Subscribe SPJ-Online.

INVESTIGATIVE REPORTERS AND EDITORS
General discussion of investigative reporting techniques, although the
conversation gets sidetracked occasionally with ethical debates.
 Subscribers: 413 in 14 countries Address: listserv@mizzou1.missouri.edu
Message: Subscribe IRE-L your name 

 BEHIND THE CAMERA
 National Press Photographers Association: For print and electronic news
photographers, editors and students. Discussions range from general
photojournalism to ethics to digital imaging software. 
  Subscribers: 537 in 20 countries Address: listserv@cmuvm.csv.cmich.edu
Message: Subscribe NPPA-L your name.

JUST FOR FUNBONG 
(Burned-Out Newspaper Creatures Guild) Bull Newsletter: A weekly newsletter
compiled by Charles Stough of the Dayton Daily News and filled with topics
such as perjoratives given to newspapers (theBoregonian) and arcane skills of
newspapering (cropping photos with grease pencils).
 Subscribers: 680 Address: listserv@netcom.com. Message: Subscribe Bong-L

THIS JUST IN: 
A weekly collection of odd news from the major wire services and othersources
compiled and annotated with wry comments by humor writer Randy Cassingham.
 Subscribers: several thousand in 51 countries. Address: listserv@netcom.com.
Message: Subscribe This-Just-In

BROADCAST NEWS 
Broadcast Media: A newsletter compiled by consultant and headhunter Don
Fitzpatrick. Includes clippings about the network and local broadcast news
industry from major newspapers, news and gossip about reporters and
producers,and occasional job postings.
 Subscribers: 750 Address: listserv@gitvm1.gatech.edu. Message: Subscribe
Shoptalk your name. 

RADIO MEDIA
:A daily copy of the Airwaves Radio Journal, which includes discussionsand
articles about U.S. radio news and broadcasting.
 Subscribers: 1,500 Address: subscribe@airwaves.chi.il.us. Message: Place the
word "subscribe" in the subject line of your message and leave the body of
the message blank.

LOOKING AHEAD 
New Information Technologies: Mostly re-posts by list owner Joe Abernathy
(senior editor/news at PCWorld) of new and rediscovered 'Net resources for
reporters.
 Subscribers: 275 Robot Address: nit-request@chron.com Message: Subscribe
nit, your E-mail address (your name your affiliation) 

ONLINE NEWS
Discussion of online newspapers and magazines, as well as electronic
publishing.
 Subscribers: 800Address: majordomo@marketplace.com. Message: Subscribe
Online-News, your E-mail address 

REFINING THE CRAFT
 Literary Journalism: Moderated by two-time Pulitzer-winner Jon Franklin,
this group includes discussions about teaching the craft and writing longer
pieces that draw the reader in.
 Subscribers: 200 Address: mailserv@oregon.uoregon.edu.
 Message: Subscribe Writer-L

COPY EDITING
: The list is "for copy editors and other defenders of the English language."
Recent discussions: shall vs.will, impact vs.affect, compose vs. comprise.
Subscribers: 700 Address: listserv@cornell.edu.
Message: Subscribe Copyediting-L your name 

MAGAZINES
Discussions about magazine publishing, from editorial practices
totechnological advances. Subscribers: 211 in 23 countries. Address:
comserve@vm.its.rpi.edu. 
Message: Subscribe Magazine your name

INVESTIGATORS 
Government Resources: Similar to New Information Technologies.
Notices of new or rediscovered resources of value to reporters or editors
covering various aspects of government.  Subscribers: 1,200 to 1,300.
Address: jwarren@well.com. 
Message: Ask owner Jim Warren, a columnist at MicroTimes and veteran online
journalist, to add you to the discussion.

NEWS RSEARCH
Discussions among librarians, reporters and editors about news researchand
resources. Subscribers: 320 Address: listserv@gibbs.oit.unc.edu. 
Message: Subscribe newslib your name. 

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION
Started by the National Freedom of Information Coalition for persons working
on FOIA issues.Subscribers: 263. Address: listserv@suvm.syr.edu. Message:
Subscribe FOI-L your name. 

COMPUTER-ASSISTED REPORTING Computer-Assisted Reporting and Research: One of
the more popular of all the journalism lists, CARR-L includes both academics
and workingjournalists talking about how to find electronic data, what to do
with the data, and how to mold it all into a readable story.
 Subscribers: 1,720 in 39 countries Address: listserv@ulkyvm.louisville.edu.
Message: Subscribe CARR-L your name. 

JOURNALISM EDUCATION
Student Media:Issues of importance to beginning journalists, mostly at the
high schooland college levels.Subscribers: 330 in 11 countriesAddress:
listserv@uabdpo.dpo.uab.eduMessage: Subscribe Stumedia your name.

.
JOURNALISM EDUCATORS
:Aimed at journalism academics, this list covers just about everything.
Subscribers: 820Address: listserv@qucdn.queensu.ca. Message: Subscribe
Journet your name.

JOURNALISM HISTORY
 Journalists, historians and other academics remember the past. Subscribers:
175Address: listserv@acfcluster.nyu.edu. Message: Subscribe Jhistory your
name.

FREEDOM OF SPEECH
A discussion of the First Amendment and free speech traditions moderated by
the American Communication Association. Subscribers: 330Address:
listserv@uafsysb.uark.edu. Message: Subscribe Amend1-L your name.

HARD COPY 
The Online Journalist: Using the Internet and Other Electronic Resources,by
Randy Reddick (Harcourt Brace, $16). Instructions and advice aimed at
reporters.
****************************************************

QUICKIE RESOURCES
For a list of electronic mail addresses used by news outlets worldwide, write
author Adam Gaffin at adamg@world.std.com. 

For a guide to retrieving U.S. government documents via E-mail and by other
methods, send a blank message to FAQ@whitehouse.gov. 

For a list of journalism resources available on the Internet through various
methods, send the message Get Journ Lists F=mail to
listserv@ulkyvm.louisville.edu. 

For a list of Internet discussion groups related to
journalism,communications, advertising and photography, write Prof. Barbara
CrollFought of Syracuse University at bcfought@mailbox.syr.edu. 
******************************************************

TO CHECK FACTS WITH AN EXPERT:
 Many reporters use E-mail to track down experts. Two groups offer PRservices
that connect journalists to sources via electronic mail: 

PROFNET
 Organized by the State University of New York at Stony Brook,t his service
links more than 1,200 public relations officers from 660 universities as well
as government, medical, business, scientific andnonprofit groups in 16
countries. Reporters looking for experts can send an E-mail request
(including your name, organization, address, phone number, deadline and what
you're looking for) to:
 profnet@ sunysb.edu.

MEDIANET
Similar to ProfNet, although most of its 1,000 subscribers are public
relations firms. Journalists' queries are forwarded each day. Send a request
that includes your name, organization, a description ofwhat you're after and
deadline to Amy Plummer at 71344.2761@compuserve.com.