IRE Radio Podcast | The dark side of the oil & gas boom

Think oil and gas stories are just for reporters in a few key states? Think again. There are more than 1.1 million active oil and gas wells in 36 states. On this podcast we’ll explore the dark side of the oil and gas boom with journalists who have investigated elements of the industry. Here’s the lineup:

• Bob Marshall of The Lens discusses his reporting on “Losing Ground,” a multimedia project that visualizes and explains the deterioration of the Louisiana coastline.
• Blake Morrison of Reuters talks about an investigation into Chesapeake Energy Corporation.
• Ed Williams of KDNK, a community radio station in Colorado, explains how he investigated gas spills on private property.

You can find and download previous podcast episodes on iTunes or our Soundcloud page.

EPISODE NOTES

Looking for links to the stories, resources and events we discussed on this week’s podcast? We’ve collected them for you.

• Explore “Losing Ground,” a multimedia project by ProPublica and The Lens.
• Learn about the “Losing Ground” news app, built by journalists at ProPublica, in this article by the Tow Center for Digital Journalism.
• Listen to ProPublica’s Al Shaw talk about “Losing Ground” on the ProPublica podcast.
• Read the Reuters investigation: “Inside Chesapeake, CEO ran $200 million hedge fund.” 
• Members only: Listen to “The dark side of the oil & gas boom: Death, pollution, land grabs and other impact,” from the 2013 IRE Conference. The session features Mark Collette, Jennifer Hiller and Blake Morrison.
• Members only: Download Jennifer Hiller’s tipsheet on covering the shale drilling boom. Hiller explains the difficulties involved with reporting on oil and gas drilling, but provides tips on how to get past these.
• Listen to Ed Williams talk about his gas spill investigation, featured on IRE’s Behind the Story.
• Read a Q&A with Mike Soraghan about his oil spills database.
• Browse the Extra Extra blog archives and the tipsheet library (members only) to see more examples of oil and gas investigations.
• Go behind the story with Chicago Magazine and learn how two journalists helped expose the truth about the city’s crime rates.
• Browse and purchase e-books on covering crime, using statistics, and analyzing data. Most digital titles are offered at a discounted price.