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 "legislature" ...
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Resources for Covering California's State Capitol
Joseph created a list of resources when covering the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif. His list includes a brief description of what information is available through each resource, along with the pertinent links.
Tags: California government; capitol reporting; state senates; Cal-Access; California Legislature; Cal Channel; Capitol Morning Report; Legislative Analyst's Office; LAO; Department of Personnel Administration; California Fair Political Practices Commission; Leginfo; California Election History
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Being the government watchdog: legislative corruption
Williams shares lessons he learned and techniques he used while investigating the Tennessee state legislature. He lists sources and on-line resources to examine, expenditures to scrutinize and tricks lawmakers use to collect and distribute money.
Tags: state government; legislature; legislators; corruption; campaign finance; open records; public records; state funds; consulting; regulation; lawmakers; influence; graft
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State Data: Making it Work for You
Kevin Corcoran provides a great list of useful websites where you can find information and databases on state and local government (taxes, finances, salaries, etc.). This tipsheet also has examples on how to analyze databases (campaign finance, property taxes, etc.) by making spreadsheets. It also provides tips on how to get started on making spreadsheets as well as obtaining data.
Tags: state government; local government; budget; tax; legislatures; lawmakers; spreadsheets; datasets; attorney general; campaign contribution; octane-testing; litigation; property tax; unclaimed property; state board and commission; state employees; harassment; overtime; CAR
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Foreign correspondent's D.C. survival kit
The myriad of organizations and bureaucracy in Washington D.C. can be confusing to anyone, let alone someone from outside the U.S. Marian Wilkinson and Andre Verloy compile an essential tipsheet for foreign correspondents covering the Beltway. There are useful web links galore in the handout, covering government agencies to resources and NGOs. While this tipsheet is designed for foreign journalists, it can be equally useful to any journalist covering government in D.C.
Tags: Foreign correspondent; government; federal government; defense; terrorism; legislature; Capital Hill; Congress; Supreme Court; NGO; think tanks; State Department; GAO; SEC
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The Press as Government Watchdog
Lawrence Messina from the Associated Press provides a list of websites with public records and data on what the federal and state governments are doing.
Tags: government; legislature; state agencies; federal agencies; elections
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Redistricting - Winners and Losers
Hurley Schweers of the National Journal offers helpful links on redistricting. The handout also includes charts based on data from the Census Bureau and the National Conference of States Legislatures.
Tags: politics; population; legislature; Congress; GOP; Democrats; Republicans
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Tips on Anti-Competitive Practices in the Rx Industry
Young, the research director of the Public Citizen, explains the strategies used by pharmaceutical companies to extend their patents for prescription drugs. The handout sheds light on the corporations' legislative maneuvers. It also offers a list of online resources to investigate the pharmaceutical industry. The handout includes a New York Times article about the drug makers' lobby in Washington.
Tags: pharmaceuticals; patents; FDA; legislature
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Tracking Corporate Lobbying
Young, the research director of the Public Citizen, explains how to use information from lobby disclosure reports in stories. The handouts provides list of websites to find the reports and other lobbying data online.
Tags: money and politics; legislature
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Legislative Reporting and CAR at Virginia Commonwealth University
This handout offers a few tips on how to identify the biggest donors to the state legislature, and how to match this information to the data on political spending. The tipsheet also explains how to create data on legislative gifts, and make it meaningful.
Tags: CAR; legislators; donations; ethics
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LAUSD Document Protection for the Joint Legislative Audit Committee has not been Responsive
This is a copy of a report filed by the chairman of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee of the California Legislature that states that "..the list included here illustrates the types of document the (Los Angeles Unified School District) has in its possession but has not provided to JLAC as of February 9, 1998. Some of these documents are also cited in earlier and still unfulfilled JLAC record requests..." The JLAC audited the LAUSD about the project to construct Belmont School. The JLAC claims documents that should be public were withheld by the LAUSD to obstruct or delay the audit.
Tags: None