Posts by Alena Rehberger
Federal loopholes, local challenges complicate response plans for rural oil disasters
The federal government does not require U.S. railroads to have comprehensive plans for a worst-case oil disasters, according to the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting. That means no one knows if the railways that carried 4.2 million barrels of crude oil through the state last year are prepared for a catastrophe. A handful of…
Read MoreHow to use CDC data to report on gun deaths
Dan Keating of the Washington Post used the CDC Wonder database to explore the racial breakdowns of gun deaths. What he found challenges the idea of having a gun for protection — at least for some. “A white person is five times as likely to commit suicide with a gun as to be shot with a…
Read MoreBehind the Story: The Indianapolis Star’s probe into the billion-dollar deer farming industry
Ryan Sabalow It’s like a gold rush. There’s money to be made, but the cost of those riches is a host of harmful, unintended consequences. A recent Indianapolis Star investigation uncovered evidence linking lucrative deer farming operations to the spread of invasive lice and diseases such as bovine tuberculosis and chronic wasting disease in wild…
Read MoreMississippi Ethics Commission rules in favor of records request for text messages
The city of Tupelo, Miss. violated open-records laws by not providing the Daily Journal with text messages it requested last year. The paper had requested the texts from the mayor’s personal cell phone over the course of three days last October, when a city official resigned, the Journal wrote. The Mississippi Ethics Commission all agreed…
Read MoreA star player accused, and a flawed rape investigation
Yet another university community has been accused of denying justice to a female sexual assault victim in order to protect a star male athlete. The New York Times today chronicled the shortcomings of an investigation by Tallahassee police into a reported sexual assault in which Florida State University quarterback Jameis Winston was the alleged assailant. Police failed…
Read MoreA weekend of Watchdog Workshops
IRE traveled to Los Angeles, Tucson and Laramie last weekend for a trio of Watchdog Workshops. Attendees shared their tips and ideas on Twitter. Our Los Angeles workshop at USC featured IRE trainer Jaimi Dowdell, independent journalist Ronald Campbell, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter/assistant editor Ellen Gabler, NBC Bay Area reporter Jenna Susko, and Los Angeles Times legal counsel Jeff Glasser. —…
Read MoreInvestigating the mental health system? We’ve got tips from a pro.
Tasked with reporting on mental health? Take a few minutes to listen to tips from Meg Kissinger of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Kissinger attended a recent Watchdog Workshop to talk about her series of award-winning stories investigating caregivers. “We found people living in squalor,” Kissinger said. “It really upset people.” So how did she find…
Read MoreTurboTax Maker Linked to Campaign Against Free Tax Filing
ProPublica recently reported that lobbyists for Intuit, the maker of TurboTax, reached out to community leaders and officials persuading them that pre-filled tax returns would essentially hurt low-income Americans. What community leaders and officials failed to realize was that the pre-filled tax returns, already endorsed by President Obama and President Reagan, would use information that…
Read MoreIowa state senator’s National Guard service not the only reason she missed votes
United States Senate candidate and state senator Joni Ernst has cited her National Guard duty to rebuff criticism for missing more than half of the votes in the Iowa Senate this year. In a WHO-TV interview posted on April 7, the Red Oak Republican acknowledged that National Guard service wasn’t the only reason she’s missed…
Read MoreIRE members recognized in 2014 Pulitzer Prizes
Several members of Investigative Reporters and Editors were among journalists recognized in the 2014 Pulitzer Prizes on Monday. The Washington Post and The Guardian US won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for their work exposing secret surveillance by the National Security Agency. Several IRE members contributed to the reporting. Chris Hamby of The Center…
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