IRE's Resource Center
IRE and NICAR Databases
The National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting, a program
of IRE and the Missouri School of Journalism, maintains a library
of databases containing government data on a wide array of subjects.
The databases listed below contain information that could be used
for various science, health and environment investigations.
Visit the IRE and NICAR
database library
Databases
Stories
The IRE Resource Center indexes hundreds of investigative
stories on science, health and the environment. The stories
listed below are just a few examples. To search for more stories,
visit the Resource
Center. To order stories, send
an e-mail or call 573-882-3364.
In addition to its thousands of print stories, the Resource Center
maintains a collection of exemplary broadcast journalism investigations.
The stories listed below, culled from the Resource Center's collection,
are a few of the hundreds that deal with science, health, medicine
or the environment. For more information, visit the
Resource Center.
Selections from
The IRE Journal
Learn more from member journalists as they tell about their experiences doing their successful investigative pieces, in the IRE Journal. Also learn more about available resources at IRE, NICAR and other places, for covering specific topics in science, health and the environment.Click
here to access the journal's archives.
Tipsheets
The Resource Center includes more than 3,000 tipsheets from
IRE conferences on how to cover beats or cover specific stories.
The tipsheets listed below are examples of the types of information
available. To order tipsheets, send an email or call 573-882-3364. Visit our tipsheet
search area for more tipsheets.
Selections from Uplink
Like The IRE Journal, Uplink often offers articles
on investigating science, health and the environment. The pieces
described below are a few examples. Back issues of The IRE Journal
and Uplink may be purchased for $10 each. There is an additional
$10 user fee for nonmembers.
Beat Books
IRE offers a series of beat books designed to fill your shelf with
practical tips and techniques from top journalists. The two books
described below should be of particular interest to journalists
investigating science, health or the environment. For more information,
visit the IRE Store.
Covering
Pollution: An Investigative Reporter's Guide
IRE and the Society
for Environmental Journalists recently produced this guide to
doing local investigations into environmental pollution. Topics
include using web-based databases, understanding data and navigating
the EPA. Appropriate for beginners and veteran reporters, it offers
tips for doing both quick and in-depth pieces.
Mapping
for Stories: A Computer-Assisted Reporting Guide
Journalists often use mapping to report on the environment and
public health. This new IRE beat book offers step-by-step instruction
in mapping data for daily news stories and larger projects. A practical
introduction, it breaks down the elements and offers relevant story
examples.
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Science, Health and Environmental Reporting
To assist journalists doing investigations into these topics, we
have compiled links, tipsheets, stories and other resources. We
also are collaborating with other journalism groups on training
and seminars.
Find out more about resources, current issues worth covering and latest stories from our individual Science, Health and Environment pages. New stories from IRE’s Resource Center look at the latest science, health and environment issues today. Association of Health Care Journalists
Former IRE Deputy Director Len Bruzzese now heads up AHCJ, a non-profit group devoted to advancing public understanding of health care issues. The AHCJ Web site has helpful resources and guides for health reporting. Also available on their Web site are information about annual conferences and a searchable freelancers' database designed to match writers with employers..
In the News
IRE Awards
Find out more about the investigative health and environment stories that are among this year's IRE Award winners.
Toxic Legacy
Investigations into toxic hazards show that communities remain threatened by pollution whether it's on land, at sea, near train tracks or even in the neighborhood supermarket. Find out more about available Web resources available for investigating toxicity in our environment from this article in the IRE Journal's May/June 2006 issue.
Internet Resources
- EurekAlert!
An online news service provided by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), EurekAlert! allows the media to access the latest research from universities, medical centers, journals, government agencies, corporations and other research oriented organizations. Subjects include both basic and applied scientific research such as archaeology, biology, medicine, business and economics, and atmospheric science.
- AAAS Press Room
The AAAA's press page offers a great deal of resources for reporters, from previous to the latest newsworthy research, list of experts and a guidebook for finding sources.
- National Institute of Health (NIH) Resources
- NIH home page:This Web site includes the index of NIH's health resources, the latest information about NIH research funding and provides links to individual institutes and centers that constitute NIH, including the National Institute on aging, National Institute of Mental Health, National Cancer Institute and National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
- NIH news and press information: Access the latest newsworthy research and other background research material on newsworthy topics in the institute’s own press room.
- Pub Med: Pub Med is a public database maintained by the National Center for Biotechnological Information (NCBI) and is an excellent resource for finding old and new research. The database contains over 15 million citations from MEDLINE and other life sciences journal.
- The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Library And Information Services:The NIEHS library Web site provides links to various databases, environmental education and health information, library catalogues, NIEHS publications and journals.
- The National Library of Medicine:Access the latest health news and press releases, as well as public health and biomedical research. This Web site also has links to other important resources like Pub Med, Medline Plus and Tox Town (an interactive guide to common toxic chemicals and environmental health).
- The National Academies
The National Academies include the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council. The Web site provides access to all these academies and institutes, in addition to latest news in research, list of upcoming public meetings, information on topics ranging from agriculture, health and medicine to space and transportation.
- The National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation's Web site provides access to information on latest research, news releases, fact sheets and statistics from a range of publications and data analyses on the country's science and engineering resources.
- MediaResource
MediaResource is a nonprofit organization that provides expert
sources to journalists. The Web site includes more than 30,000
contacts. Its "SciStacks" link includes dictionaries
and glossaries of scientific terms organized by category.
- FacsNet
Sponsored by the Foundation for American Communications, FacsNet
offers tips on how to approach various science topics, the
latest science headlines, reporting resources, backgrounders
and a source finder.
- Librarians'
Index to the Internet: Science
This site provides a well-organized point of access for librarian-selected
Internet resources that are described as reliable and trustworthy.
Databases
Links to a few databases related to health, science and the
environment are provided below. Additional databases can be found
online.
Books
Watchdog Groups
Training
In addition to CAR training and Better Watchdog Workshops, IRE
offers opportunities aimed to help members investigate science,
health and the environment. Two training events are described below.
- Investigative
Science Journalism Boot Camp:
IRE partnered with MIT's Knight
Science Journalism Fellowships program to host an investigative
science journalism boot camp March 20-24, 2005, at MIT. Designed
to help reporters put science under the microscope, the event included
tips on investigating scientific fraud, following paper trails,
cultivating reluctant sources and more.
Professional Societies/Associations
- National Association of Science
Writers
Hosted by IRE, NASW’s Web site offers excellent resources for science writers, including a job bank with information on full time, part time jobs, freelancing opportunities and internships, mentoring opportunities, awards and annual conferences. Members can join mailing lists tailored to their interests, access materials through the site’s bookstore and explore topics from statistics to corporate influence. Also available is an extensive section for science writing teachers.
- Society of Environmental Journalists
IRE’s partner in many projects including the book, "Covering Pollution", SEJ offers helpful tip sheets, beat tools and teaching links for science/environment writing on its Web site. Environmental reporters can also find story ideas, a list of Web sites rated by usefulness, a section on Freedom of Information laws and environmental communication links. News is available through EJ Today and E-News headlines.
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For more information, contact:
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Jeff Porter
Database Library Director
IRE and NICAR
E-mail: jeff@ire.org
Voice: 573-882-1982
Fax: 573-882-5431
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Beth Kopine
Research Director
IRE Resource Center
E-mail: beth@ire.org
Voice: 573-882-6668
Fax: 573-884-8151
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