Some media stories of note for Tuesday, February 19, 2013:

The Columbia Journalism Review writes about how big and small outlets alike are increasingly looking to journalist programmers to help them enter and occupy the world of data journalism. It suggests that students can have jobs before they graduate if they choose to enter that field.

Last week The New York Times irked the carmaker Tesla with an unflattering review of its electric car's range in cold weather. The CEO, Elon Musk, accused the Times of falsifying its account. The public editor of the Times, Margaret Sullivan, spent days trying to sort through the dispute and her account suggests the review was of integrity and goodwill, even if the reviewer left himself open to valid criticism in his note-taking and in his judgment of when to recharge the car along the way. Her account of this saga is a strong example of the value of a public editor in sorting through public complaints.

Last week the Committee to Protect Journalists released its annual report on the risks to journalists worldwide.  It found a significant rise in the number of journalists attacked, imprisoned and killed in the year. Some 70 were killed, a 43-per-cent increase over 2011, and more than 35 disappeared as repressive regimes exerted even more media influence on dissent. It was a sad year for press freedom, the committee concluded.

Industry veteran Steve Buttry has a new job as director of community engagement for Jim Brady's imminent digital news startup, TBD, and he is selfless enough to share some tips on getting the next gig.

When I teach each year I find one of the most valuable sessions I can provide is how to use the job interview properly. It is, after all, potentially the most lucrative half-hour you'll experience, yet so many people arrive largely ill-prepared to pitch their work or help an employer visualize their fit. And school, no matter if its high or post-secondary, doesn't guide you at all.

Buttry has a generous helping of tips in his post, starting with the profile you need initially online: following the right people on Twitter, networking with them, understanding their ideas and approaches.

He discusses the need for the digital calling card: a resume online, a presence on the Internet that evidently engages, and an open technique (meaning no locked Twitter account, for instance).

He also supplies some subtle, nuanced advice on how to apply and how to stay in the game. It's a valuable batch of advice, more practical given that Buttry himself used it to land a great role at a very promising new enterprise.