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​​The Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) database has just been updated in the NICAR Data Library.​ Loan application records for 2014 are now available. ​ HMDA requires all banks, savings and loans, savings banks and credit unions with assets of more than $33 million and offices in metropolitan areas to report mortgage applications. WHAT CAN I DO…
Read MoreFor years, the U.S. has pushed education as one of its major triumphs in Afghanistan. The government helped build schools, train teachers, issue textbooks and educate scores of girls. And for years, that legacy went relatively unchecked. But when Azmat Khan of BuzzFeed News began questioning the numbers and visiting schools in the region this…
Read MoreThe CIA’s former chief polygrapher, an ex-FBI counterterrorism expert and a Pulitzer-winning reporter walk into a bar. Ok, that’s not true. But the three did come together for a panel at IRE’s 2015 conference in Philadelphia called “Interviewing Liars.” Matt Apuzzo, a New York Times reporter who was on the Associated Press team that revealed…
Read MoreA graphic from the Seattle Times’ coverage of the Oso, Washington landslide Does your newsroom have the data and resources it needs to cover the next big storm? With a little preparation, you can have detailed information on critical infrastructure – like dams and levees – ready to go the next time a hurricane or…
Read More(Editor’s note: English translation available below) No importa si es la media noche o en un fin de semana, los más de 2,300 miembros que subscriben a NICAR-L están dispuestos a contestar preguntas sobre temas entre los básicos de usar Microsoft Excel a cartografía avanzada o como hacer codificación. Desde 1994, miembros han publicado más…
Read MoreDams are critical pieces of infrastructure not often in the forefront of public attention or discussion, perhaps because so few of us interact with them on a regular basis, if at all. But when powerful storms – like those fueled by Hurricane Joaquin – occur, it’s easy to see the vital role dams play in…
Read MoreWe’re excited to announce that IRE is part of a new data journalism internship program being offered by the Dow Jones News Fund. Dow Jones News Fund has a long history of placing students in internships, through its prestigious News Copy Editing Program and other programs. In this new internship, students who are selected to…
Read MoreBehind the Story: How a reporter peered inside one of the world’s most powerful chemical companies
Mariah Blake A single email from a governor, agency head or low-level bureaucrat can crack open a story, thanks to freedom of information laws. But if a reporter knows where to look, she can also find a trove of internal documents from some of the world’s biggest corporations, including emails, memos, meeting minutes and even…
Read MoreIt’s once again time to enter the Philip Meyer Journalism Award contest. Entries are now being accepted online, through Nov. 20. Established in 2005, the award was created to honor Philip Meyer’s pioneering efforts to utilize social science research methods to foster better journalism. The contest recognizes stories that incorporate survey research, probabilities and other social…
Read MoreToday IRE is announcing a partnership with SmartProcure to provide IRE members discounted access to the largest government purchasing database. This database contains more than 237.79 million purchase orders from more than 10,000 local, state and federal government agencies in the U.S. This partnership means IRE members can receive a subscription to SmartProcure for $39…
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