How to #JICONF If You Missed #JICONF

By Madison Feller

photo by Shelby Mann

Last weekend, the Missouri School of Journalism and RJI hosted #JICONF, or Journalism Interactive, the conference on journalism education and digital media. Throughout the weekend, professionals and students participated in panels and workshops about newsroom analytics, viral content, innovations and more. But if you weren't able to attend any of the weekend's events, you can still catch up. Here's the ONA Mizzou guide to learning from #JICONF—even if you didn't actually go to #JICONF:

Elections are coming!

By Katy Mersmann

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Ian Aberle

As the school year is (slowly) winding to an end, it's once again time to elect a new ONA Mizzou executive board. As president, I have loved the experience and the opportunities ONA has given me. I've gotten to meet and work with some really awesome journalists and people, and gotten to know everyone on the board better. And let me tell you, they are some pretty great people.

Live Blog: Bill Allen on drones and drone regulation

by Emerald O'Brien

And we're off! Well, not literally – yet. Bill Allen is starting his presentation on drone regulations and journalism, and he will fly a drone in front of our very eyes in the next hour.

5 reasons Excel isn't actually the worst

By Sarah Darby

If you're anything like me, you probably cringe at the thought of using Excel. I, too, claimed I hated Excel, thinking the program was only useful to accountants and maybe people living under a rock.

It turns out, Excel is actually a very useful tool for data journalism. I completed NICAR's computer assisted boot camp last week, and I emerged with a new-found appreciation for Excel. If you're a Mizzou student, I highly encourage you to take the CAR class, JOURN 4430, during a regular semester or intersession bootcamp to learn more about data reporting. For everyone else, here are five reasons Excel isn't actually the worst.