Posts by Alena Rehberger
Bill seeks new restrictions on sterilizations in Calif. prisons
A California state senator introduced legislation to limit sterilization surgeries in state prisons, jails and detention centers after the Center for Investigative Reporting found that 132 women received tubal ligations in violation of prison rules. Prison medical staff had been coercing and targeting women “deemed likely to return to prison in the future,” CIR reported.…
Read MoreLet the CAR Conference countdown begin…
We can’t wait to see hundreds of you one week from today at the 2014 CAR Conference in Baltimore. It’s shaping up to be a great couple of days. Here’s a preview of some of the great speakers, sessions and events you can look forward to: KENDALL TAGGART Taggart, from the Center for Investigative…
Read MoreOnly 2 days left to submit panel ideas for 2014 IRE Conference
Friday is the last day to submit panel ideas for the upcoming IRE Conference, June 26-29, 2014 in San Francisco, CA. If your panel is selected, you will be notified no later than mid-April. At that point, we will ask you to confirm your proposed speakers and provide more detail about the session. Since we are not able…
Read MoreIRE members win 2014 Selden Ring Award
Congratulations to IRE members Ellen Gabler and Allan J. Vestal of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for receiving the 2014 Selden Ring Award for Investigative Reporting. USC Annenberg recognized Gabler and Vestal, along with colleagues Mark Johnson, John Fauber and Kristyna Wentz-Graff, for their series “Deadly Delays,” which investigated processing failures in newborn screening programs. From the…
Read MoreAir quality monitoring falls short at Eagle Ford oil and gas wells
An oil boom is underway at the Eagle Ford Shale in Karnes County, Texas, but the development is diminishing the quality of life of the inhabitants of the rural county and possibly endangering their health, according to reporting by the Center for Public Integrity, InsideClimate News and the Weather Channel. Residents’ complaints are going unaddressed and…
Read MoreUsing new nonprofit law center, Hawaii’s Civil Beat wins access to police misconduct records
In the flood of paperwork that made its way each year to the Hawaii legislature, a shocking statistic slipped under the radar: About once a week the Honolulu Police Department was suspending or firing an officer for misconduct. Often the offenses were serious – abusing suspects, lying to federal investigators, tipping off drug dealers. And…
Read More13 IRE members honored with Polk awards
The winners of the 2103 George Polk Awards in Journalism, announced Sunday by Long Island University, included 13 IRE members. The awards honor special achievement in journalism, particularly in the areas of investigative and enterprise reporting. The following IRE members were among this year’s 30 recipients of awards given in 13 categories: Glenn Greenwald (The…
Read MoreLast day to apply for free IRE, SPJ, NECIR training in Philadelphia
Do you have reporters or editors on your staff who would benefit from training to help them produce enterprise and investigative stories? Thanks to a grant from Sigma Delta Chi Foundation, the Society for Professional Journalists (SPJ) is working with Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE)and the New England Center for Investigative Reporting (NECIR) to offer a two-day Watchdog Reporting Workshop for…
Read MoreCalifornia probation officers overwhelmed with GPS monitoring alerts
Electronic monitoring was supposed to help Los Angeles County deal with the influx of thousands of felons moved out of California’s prison system to ease overcrowding. The nation’s largest probation department strapped GPS ankle monitors on the highest-risk of those convicts, expecting the satellite receivers to keep tabs on where they spent their days and…
Read MoreMentally ill California prison inmate dies after being pepper sprayed
As California prison officials began looking into the September death of a breathing-impaired inmate who had been pepper-sprayed by a guard, they found themselves facing unusual interference and oversight from above, according to documents from an internal corrections investigation obtained by The Sacramento Bee. A corrections psychologist whose duties included a review of the Sept.…
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