A crucial duty of a journalist is to serve the public interest by acting
as a watchdog on government and business. This duty has become all the
more important at a time when governments are restricting the flow of information.
At such times, broadcast and print journalists must redouble their efforts
to use freedom-of-information laws to obtain public documents and help
the public appreciate the value of such laws.
A Better Watchdog Workshop is intended to help those journalists at small-
to medium-sized news organizations -- and those in bureaus of larger organizations
-- to learn the investigative skills that keep government and business
accountable and to produce enterprising and informative stories. Critical
among the skills is the ability to use federal and state FOI laws to open
the doors to public information.
IRE, with funding from the Chicago Tribune Foundation, the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation and the Las Vegas Sun, Barbara J. Greenspun, offers these fast-paced workshops
throughout the United States and shows how improved reporting skills, often
aided by the employment of open-records laws, can result in top-notch journalism.
A small team of expert instructors runs the workshops, bringing together
IRE's expertise at journalism training and FOI issues. Program materials
include some of the best IRE tipsheets on beat coverage. The registration
fee includes a 6-month membership in IRE.
In some cases, the workshops may be extended to Sunday for special sessions
for students or for hands-on training in computer-assisted reporting.
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| Upcoming
Workshops |
Additional 2007 dates will be announced soon.
To request a Better Watchdog Workshop in your area, send an e-mail to watchdog@ire.org.
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| Past Workshops |
March 24-25, 2007 —
Spokane, Wash.
Better Watchdog Workshop |
April 14, 2007 —
Long Island, N.Y.
Better Watchdog Workshop |
April 14-15, 2007 —
Syracuse, N.Y.
Better Watchdog Workshop |
April 16, 2007 —
Tacoma, Wash.
Better Watchdog Workshop |
April 27-28, 2007 —
Oklahoma City, Okla.
Better Watchdog Workshop |
April 28, 2007 —
Washington, D.C.,
Better Watchdog Workshop |
June 13, 2007 —
San Jose, Calif.
Better Watchdog Workshop |
Aug. 1, 2007 —
Miami, Fla.
Better Watchdog Workshop |
Jan. 19, 2008 —
San Francisco, CA
Better Watchdog Workshop |
April 11-12, 2008 —
Los Angeles, Calif.
Better Watchdogs Workshop |
April 28-30, 2008 —
York, Penn.
Watchdog and CAR training for the York Dispatch |
July 23, 2008 —
Chicago, Ill.
Watchdog Reporting in a Diverse World: Digging In to Serve Your Community |
Sept. 19 - 21, 2008 —
Los Angeles, Calif.
Investigating Health Care: A Better Watchdog Workshop |
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