The question of whether to pay for storage of a baby’s cord blood is now routinely asked of expectant parents in obstetrician offices and hospital delivery rooms. Many states have passed laws requiring that doctors tell expectant parents their options for cord blood: discard it; bank it privately; or donate it to a public bank,…
Read MoreIf it seemed as though some scenes of CNN’s documentary series “Chicagoland” were coordinated by Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s City Hall and the show’s producers, that’s because they were. More than 700 emails reviewed by the Chicago Tribune reveal that the production team worked hand in hand with the mayor’s advisers to develop storylines, arrange specific…
Read MoreAre you a journalist with less than 10 years of experience? Interested in attending the upcoming IRE Conference in San Francisco? IRE could pay your way. In 2012 IRE added a new fellowship, created to honor the memory of longtime IRE member David Dietz, who succumbed to cancer in June of 2011. David served as…
Read MoreAt least 40 U.S. veterans died waiting for appointments at the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Health Care system, many of whom were placed on a secret waiting list. The secret list was part of an elaborate scheme designed by Veterans Affairs managers in Phoenix who were trying to hide that 1,400 to 1,600 sick veterans were…
Read MoreIn October, residental properties in Oregon were sprayed with pesticides meant for a nearby forrest. Residents say the pesticides caused health problems for themselves, their families and their pets. Oregon Public Broadcasting looked into what oversights allowed this to happen. They found lack of government funding to test soil and improper record keeping to be major factors…
Read MoreIRE and Esri have partnered to offer fellowships to attend mapping training at the 2014 Esri International Users Conference from July 13-17 in San Diego or the IRE Mapping Boot Camp from August 8-10 at the University of Missouri-Columbia, Mo. The users conference fellowships cover airfare and four nights lodging, and the boot camp fellowships cover airfare and three nights lodging. The users conference schedule includes attendance…
Read MoreBy Hannah Schmidt Joce Sterman of WMAR-Baltimore and Michael Pell of Reuters explain where reporters can find inspection data and how they can incorporate it into investigative pieces. Where do you find inspection data? Pell suggested reporters check the following organizations: U.S. Government Accountability Office U.S. Chemical Safety Board National Transportation Safety Board Office of Inspector…
Read MoreFaculty emails and unpublished university research can be deemed “proprietary” and withheld under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, the Virginia Supreme Court announced last week. The law was called into question in 2011 when the American Tradition Institute and Virginia Del. Robert Marshall filed a request for emails of Michael Mann, a prominent climate…
Read More2014 Board Election Schedule May 1 – Period to declare candidacy for the IRE Board begins May 30 – Deadline for candidates to file to appear on the initial ballot June 9 – Voting period begins, candidate statements posted online June 26 – Deadline to get on the ballot June 28 – Candidate forum at 6…
Read MoreBy Hannah Schmidt Jill Riepenhoff, a projects reporter at The Columbus Dispatch, and Tisha Thompson, an investigative reporter for WRC-Washington D.C., use consumer and professional complaints to fuel their investigations. In these audio clips the two reporters offer advice on where to look for complaints and how to use them. In Columbus, Ohio, landlords allowing homes…
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