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 "sourcing" ...
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Making timelines
Displaying a series of events can be as simple as drawing a straight line. But if you want to get fancier, there are a bunch of other options to display chronologies and storylines. In this talk, we'll take a tour of current timelines in the wild and walk you through three open-source tools to help you make your own: ProPublica's TimelineSetter, Zach Wise's TimelineJS, and WNYC's Vertical Timeline. http://lenagroeger.s3.amazonaws.com/timelines/timelines.html
Tags: data
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The one-query story: Quick hits for your newsroom
Amaze your editors and wow your readers with these quick-hit data story ideas. Learn techniques on how to look for the short-form watchdog and how to juggle it all. Afflict the comfortable by fact-checking their statements, find expert sources and use spreadsheets to inform your next project.
Tags: spreadsheets; query; data; car
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The data-driven story part 3: bulletproofing and presentation
Learn how to "bulletproof" your data by doing integrity checks and learn tips to go beyond basic data checking.
Tags: Databases; sourcing; story visualization
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Dig deeper with social tools
Learn how to find people, companies, experts and other sources and how to use geo-location features to cover breaking news. Use the tipsheet to discover new ways to use Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and mobile apps to improve your stories.
Tags: Social media; Twitter; Facebook; LinkedIn; mobile apps; sourcing; breaking news coverage
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Bulletproofing the Big Story
The tipsheet goes over the best ways organize your story, budget your time and know your sources.
Tags: bulletproof; fact check
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The Art of the Interview
The tipsheet explains all the stages of the interview and how to prepare for them.
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Backgrounding Candidates
Frank provides some good sources to use when gathering background information on candidates for election in Colorado.
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Reporting on public-sector pensions
This tipsheet is a must for anyone covering pensions. Frank goes over the basics, gives you story ideas and tells you the documents and sources you need and the pitfalls to avoid.
Tags: Pensions
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Social Media Tools
"Learn new ways to find sources, background people and companies, and break stories before the competition" with this Powerpoint from Haddix.
Tags: social media; Facebook; Twitter; LinkedIn;
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Investigating Public School Construction
Holland gives tips on how to use public records, confidential sources and computer-assisted reporting to expose reckless spending and shoddy construction in your public school's construction.
Tags: construction; school safety; oversight; public records