The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. Add to that more than 3,000 tipsheets from our national conferences on how to cover specific beats or do specific stories and you have a resource that no reporter or editor should be without. These stories and tipsheets are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Logged-in members can view the tipsheets free online:
Search results for "Government Documents" ...
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The Ask: Requesting and Negotiating For Records/Data
A guide on how to procure the documents you need in order to launch your investigation. This step-by-step tipsheet takes you through each individual step to gaining access to government records.
Tags: Burlington Free Press; FOI; Open Government Laws; Freedom of Information;
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Broadcast: The Paper Chase
A guide for broadcasters on how to navigate through endless stacks of government documents and forms, in order to find the real story.
Tags: FOIA; Freedom of Information; Public Records; Government Documents;
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PIECES OF THE PAST Building your stories from archives and historical documents
If you're covering any topic that touches government, business, or influential people, you may be missing out on a piece of the story if you aren't using archives and historical documents. Neff provides useful tips on how to utilize these.
Tags: archives; history; public records; Worldcat
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Investigating Local Government
Jaquiss tipsheet covers tips for investigating local government. He stressed the importance of knowing your sources and their motivations and the understanding what documents you're looking for and what is available. Jaquiss says, "Your job in covering local government is to explain to readers how resources are being allocated. You work for your readers, not elected officials or your sources. Do not be a stenographer."
Tags: local government; sources; elected officials; public meetings; documents;
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Government Waste Initiative
McIntosh addresses the collaborative efforts of the Journal-Constitution, WBS-TV and WBS Radio to cover "questionable government spending, inefficiency and waste." She outlines the documents and public records a reporter should mine when covering the topic of government waste. She also outlines some reporting routines that our beneficial when covering government.
Tags: government waste; public records; budgets; audits; bond issues; expense reports; expense records; lawsuits; salary records; RFPs; RFQs
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Immigration Links
This documents contains links to government pages, sites, blogs and data that may be useful for reporters covering issues related to immigration.
Tags: immigrants; immigration; visas; TRAC; Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse; immigration reform
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Watchdogging Government Spending
O'Dell gives tips on how to keep taps on government spending. Included are recommendations on key documents to FOIA; the importance of persistence; knowledge of FOIA laws; need for basic CAR skills; and more.
Tags: watchdog reporting; government spending; accounting; computer-assisted reporting; excel; acces
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Finding records on your beat
Sarah Cohen of Duke University shares some good starting points for investigations.
Tags: investigation tips; web searches; government reports; documents; public records
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Quick-hit watchdog stories: Where to find them
Sforza describes the documents to ask for so journalists can "an eye on those holding the public trust and how they’re spending our money." Making a habit of gathering this material will provide a constant stream of stories at your fingertips.
Tags: public trust; watchdog journalism; local government; public records; records requests; FOIA;
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Covering the Military Beat
Capaccio discusses the challenges of reporting on the military. He suggests resources to familiarize yourself with when you begin to cover this beat, and how to organize yourself so you have the needed resources at hand - from Pentagon URLs to up-to-date phone lists. Included in this document is a chart of Military Insignia and what each stands for by specific branch of the military. He also includes sample documents from military resources
Tags: military; contacts; Pentagon; Pen and Sword: A Journalist's Guide to Covering the Military; Ed Offley; Army; Marines; POGO; Project on Government Oversight; The Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment; CSBA