JNet's Top Ten Picks For 2002

Here are JNet's Top Ten Picks of the best, most topical sites for journalists for 2002.

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• 2002 Picks of the Week
• 2001 Picks of the Week
• 2000 Picks of the Week
• 1999 Picks of the Week 
• 1998 Picks of the Week
• 1997 Picks of the Week

THE TOP SITE OF THE YEAR:

1. GoogleNews The best search engine on the web has rolled out the best news search tool of the year. You can read the last week's news by topic (World, Business, etc) or use the search box with the usual powerful Google accuracy.Google also wowed us this year with other prosucts:
   - Google Glossary Need a quick definition, not just of a word but of a concept or an issue -- for example, "ozone layer" or PCBs? You get several links to the best web pages that give you a snapshot of the phrase, its meaning and context. An excellent quick reference guide.
   -Google Translation It translates words, sentences, or even entire web pages. It's never perfect, but it's faster and more efficient than most free computer-based translators.
   
   
   
   THE REST OF THE TOP TEN:
   
   
2. AltaVista News turns up the heat on Google News by teaming up with Moreover and gathering news from 3,000 worldwide sources. Its strength is that you can select topics, sources and also restrict your news search to countries such as Australia, Canada, Germany, India, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.
   
   
3. Vivisimo News Search The Vivisimo search tool, one of the new generation of search engines that try to "cluster" or group your results, offers a sample of its power by allowing you to search for news from the BBC, Yahoo News, World News, CNN and the New York Times. You can only do one media outlet at a time, but the results are often more efficient than if you tried the searches from the media sites themselves. For more news search tools, see JNet's News Search Page.
   
   
   
4. WhitePages.com   One of the most convenient and comprehensive phone directories on the web for US and Canada. You can search for only partial names   or do a reverse search by phone number or by address. For more directories, see JNet's Phone Page
   
   
   
5. IraqWatch Web site devoted to monitoring Iraq's progress in building weapons of mass destruction. Iraq Watch describes key Iraqi organizations and sites, lists their foreign suppliers, and provides access to U.N. and other documents that describe Iraq's activities.
   
   
   
6. BBC News Search The BBC has launched a new search engine which has distinct advantages for journalists. Its general results tend to be of higher quality than ordinary search tools. Plus you can click on a special button and get results only from BBC News and the BBC WebSite. The Advanced Archives search also gives you access to years of BBC online material.
   
   
   
7. NewYorkTimes News Tracker The best newspaper on the web has added a new, personalized search feature. You can now single out specific words and tell the Times to email you any time the word or phrase appears in a headline, an article or even a byline. You have to register first at the member center, but it's all free.
   
   
   
8.  Executive Library A convenient, easy-to-read page that gives you the top of the news sources from around the world -- plus ways to search for more headlines and stories. The site also offers excellent research strategy tips with good sites to start your search on US and Canadian government and business web pages.
   
   
   
9. The Corporate Library In the year of Enron and WorldCom, this extensive site devoted to international corporate governance. The free services include news briefs. You can also do excellent company research  including not just biographies of CEOs and board members of companies listed on US stock exchanges, but also their salary, perks and sometimes even a copy of their contracts. For similar tools, see JNet's Business Criticism page.
   
   
   
10. Ajeeb.com With tensions in the Middle East showing no signs of easing, you might want to check out this site -- the only way to get translations from Arabic and English for free.  You can translate single words, selected text or entire web pages. For more translation tools from Russian, Chinese, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish, see JNet's Translation Page