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Extra! Extra! is a blog devoted to current examples of investigative reporting, including in-depth projects, enterprise and breaking news with impact, use of public documents and Freedom of Information laws, use of data or computer-assisted reporting tools, and other examples of watchdog journalism from all media.

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Archive for June, 2008

Witnesses say federal investigator pressured them to lie

Monday, 06/30/08 Posted in Uncategorized

Fifteen witnesses in a trial that led to the conviction of five people in the deaths of six Kansas City firefighters told The Kansas City Star that a federal investigator ... Read more..

Drug war on moms

Monday, 06/30/08 Posted in Health

Troy Anderson of the Los Angeles Daily News investigates widespread problems in California’s system of testing pregnant women for drug use. The drug screenings used in California’s hospitals are ... Read more..

Supreme Court struck down portion of campaign finance law

Friday, 06/27/08 Posted in Campaign Finance, Justice (courts/crime/law)

Adam Liptak of The New York Times reports that the "millionaire's amendment" was struck down by the Supreme Court in a 5-to-4 decision on Thursday. "The law at issue ... Read more..

Nonprofits work to wield influence on 2008 elections

Thursday, 06/26/08 Posted in Campaign Finance, Nonprofit, Politics

In a joint effort by NPR and the Center for Investigative Reporting, Peter Overby and Will Evans report on the efforts of nonprofits to influence the 2008 elections. "One ... Read more..

Data reveals issues at daycares, other care facilities

Wednesday, 06/25/08 Posted in CAR, Health

Through Freedom of Information legislation, The Vancouver Sun obtained inspection data for more than 3,000 daycares, long-term care facilities and group homes for the disabled. They made the data — ... Read more..

Al-Queda’s propaganda campaign flourishes online

Tuesday, 06/24/08 Posted in Homeland Security, Terrorism

Craig Whitlock of The Washington Post continues his coverage of the propaganda campaigns at the heart of the war on terrorism. Al-Queda has turned to the internet to ... Read more..

Circumstances of trooper’s death kept secret

Tuesday, 06/24/08 Posted in Government (federal/state/local), Justice (courts/crime/law)

John O'Brien of The Post-Standard (Syracuse, N.Y.) investigated a fatal friendly fire shooting by state police. For more than a year, top officials kept a lid on details about the ... Read more..

Online courses inflate faculty pay

Tuesday, 06/24/08 Posted in Education, Government (federal/state/local)

Mackenzie Ryan, of the St. Cloud (Minn.) Times, recently looked into state salary earnings and found a state university contract incentive that pays professors for teaching online classes. Pay ... Read more..

Mapping shows lottery winnings not evenly distributed

Monday, 06/23/08 Posted in CAR, Mapping

Patrick Lakamp and Susan Schulman of The Buffalo News mapped lottery sales and total winnings for more than 1,500 lottery retailers in western New York. The data showed that ... Read more..

U.S.-funded network struggles in Middle East

Monday, 06/23/08 Posted in Broadcast, Government (federal/state/local)

"Propaganda has become a primary front in the war against terrorism, with the United States and al-Qaeda each investing heavily to win over hearts and minds," reports Chris Whitlock of ... Read more..