The early bird deadline for 
Posts by Alena Rehberger
NICAR Data Library to lower prices, offer free databases
The NICAR Database Library will be implementing some changes in the coming months: The first of these is a reduction in what we charge IRE members for most of our databases. Additionally, a handful of databases will be free to IRE members​. While the amount of work we put into each database remains the same, we…
Read MoreNICAR Data Library releases updated DOE campus crime data
The NICAR Database Library has updated the Department of Education’s ​Campus Crime data to include the most recent reports on alleged crime, arrests and discipline reported for 2012. Buy it here. What’s in it? The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act is a federal law that requires colleges…
Read MoreBehind the Story: How Kent State tracked student athletes missing class
By Karl Idsvoog, Kent State University How do you get into college if you can only read at a grade-school level? Last January, CNN’s Sara Ganim answered that question in a powerful piece of reporting. In a few short sentences Sara personalized the reality of college athletics at the University of North Carolina as she told…
Read MoreHow to survive your first CAR story
By Jennifer Johnson, The Grand Forks Herald Spreadsheet programs like Excel have always intimidated me. Sure, I dabbled in them a few times. I pulled up pre-formatted sheets and leafed through them. I used basic formulas and figured out percentages. And I also attended a two-day IRE training with fellow reporters at the Grand Forks…
Read MoreIRE Radio Podcast | Beyond Breaking News
When a story breaks, speed is key. But so are depth, context and accuracy. So how do you cover the news while simultaneously digging deeper? This week we’re talking about investigating breaking news. Our speakers will cover everything from identifying sources on the scene to developing a plan for watchdog coverage. Here’s the lineup: Scott…
Read MoreSubmit session, speaker ideas for NICAR15 in Atlanta
We’re gearing up for our annual data journalism conference March 5-8 in Atlanta and want your input to make this the best NICAR yet. We’re accepting session and speaker ideas through September 12. Please submit your ideas using the link below. If you’d rather send them via email, please use confideas@ire.org. Thanks to all of you who’ve submitted ideas and…
Read MoreMark your calendar for the IRE Chicago Meetup next month
The IRE Chicago Meetup crew is partnering with the Chicago Headline Club for its next happy hour. The Chicago Headline Club holds Burger Nights every month, and the next one is Sept. 12 at The Billy Goat (430 N. Michigan Ave). So, bring a colleague to introduce to the Investigative Reporters and Editors community and…
Read MoreDo police have to release the name of the officer involved in the Ferguson, Mo. shooting?
We’ve been getting a lot of questions about the Ferguson, Missouri police department’s decision not to release the name of the officer involved in the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Mike Brown. To get some legal answers, we turned to professor Sandy Davidson, who teaches communications law at the Missouri School of Journalism. Here’s what you…
Read MoreCuomo administration policy allows state to delete emails of government employees
According to WNYC, “New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s administration — which the governor pledged would be the most transparent in state history — has quietly adopted policies that allow it to purge the emails of tens of thousands of state employees, cutting off a key avenue for understanding and investigating state government.” “Last year,…
Read MoreAUDIO: The FERPA exception every reporter should know
Sexual assault cases are never easy to cover, and when a university is involved, the challenges become even greater. Victims are sometimes reluctant to talk. Administrators often refuse to do interviews, citing FERPA. But that doesn’t mean these cases are impossible to cover. At the IRE Conference in San Francisco this summer Walt Bogdanich of…
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