Watchdog Workshop
Madison, WI — May 9-10, 2009
Saturday - Sunday

Hosted by
The Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, The Wisconsin State Journal, The Janesville Gazette, The Clarion and Madison Area Technical College

See workshop main page


Preliminary Schedule



Saturday, May 9
9 a.m.
Welcome, introduction. How to do excellent investigative journalism with limited time and resources. How to do it on a daily, weekly and long-term basis. What resources to use. The importance of knowing and using freedom of information laws. Examples of what small- to medium-sized news organizations are doing in investigative reporting.
  • Brant Houston, University of Illinois
9:30-10:15 a.m.
Managing and juggling your time to do watchdog stories. Putting it all together. How to cover a beat and still produce investigative stories. How to manage your day. How reporters and managers can collaborate better to get it all done.
  • Brant Houston, University of Illinois
10:20-11:00 a.m.
Effective use of the Internet. What reporters and editors need to know. From better search techniques to the invisible Web, how to find documents and databases on deadline and where to find reliable Web sites for enterprise stories. The craft of better searching and not wasting time.
  • Jaimi Dowdell, IRE
11:05 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.
Paper and database trails. How to find and get documents and data you need for any beat or topic.
  • Dee Hall, Wisconsin State Journal
  • Dave Umhoefer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
12:00-1:30 p.m.
Lunch on your own.
1:30-2:20 p.m.
Covering the economic crisis. What are the key trends reporters should be following? What data and other information is available to help journalists keep on top of important developments.
  • Todd Berry, Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance
  • Jason Stein, Wisconsin State Journal
2:25-3:20 p.m.
The art of the interview. Learn the best ways to approach sources, prepare and handle the interview process. Plenty of tips and strategies for handling tough situations, ethical trouble-spots, etc.
  • Frederica Freyberg, Wisconsin Public Television
  • Andy Hall, Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism
3:25-4:20 p.m.
FOI/Open Records. How to use federal and state laws. How to write an open records request the right way. How to appeal and challenge denials. How to keep a steady flow of information and ideas coming into the newsroom by using FOI.
  • Phil Brinkman, Wisconsin State Journal
  • Bob Dreps, Godfrey and Kahn
  • Christa Westerberg, McGillivray Westerberg & Bender
4:25-5:30 p.m.
Bulletproofing a story. Bringing a watchdog story from conception to completion. Making watchdog stories airtight with line-by-line editing.
  • Brant Houston, University of Illinois

Sunday, May 10
9 a.m. - noon
Computer-Assisted Reporting



Upcoming Watchdog Workshops

March 27-28, 2010  Oklahoma City, Okla.
April 16, 2010  Providence, R.I.
April 17-18, 2010  Philadelphia, Pa.
May 1-2, 2010  San Francisco, Calif.


See all IRE and NICAR training

Sponsors

IRE thanks the following sponsors for supporting our Watchdog program: