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Posts by Alena Rehberger
Six lessons from a five-year FOIA battle
By Philip Eil, CJR Editor’s Note: This article first ran on September 28, 2016 on the Columbia Journalism Review’s website. I filed my first Freedom of Information Act request on February 1, 2012. I was 26 years old, and chasing a story about my father’s med-school classmate, Dr. Paul Volkman, who had been convicted of a…
Read MoreIRE Radio Podcast | Fostering Disparity
Brandon Stahl has spent years reporting on foster care for the Minneapolis Star Tribune. But at a meeting with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, he stumbled across a fact he’d never heard before: Minnesota places a higher share of American Indian kids into foster care than any other state. A year-long investigation with data journalist…
Read MoreIRE looks to hire new director of data services
Investigative Reporters and Editors is looking for someone with data analysis skills who enjoys tackling a variety of projects, leading workshops, working with smart and motivated students, and helping shape the future of data journalism. We’re seeking a new director of data services for IRE and the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting(NICAR), a worldwide leader in computer-assisted…
Read MoreJoin IRE at our Cleveland Meetup!
If you’re in the Cleveland area, we hope you’ll join us for a Meetup on Sunday, Oct. 9. We’ll be gathering at Jukebox starting at 3 pm. This event is open to any member of our industry who has a passion for investigate reporting. Seasoned veteran? Rookie on your first beat? Student journalist trying to break into…
Read MoreBehind the Story: How IndyStar uncovered sexual abuse within USA Gymnastics
“Out of Balance” from the Indianapolis Star In many ways, the summer of 2016 was an exciting time for USA Gymnastics, the national governing body that oversees the sport and its thousands of athletes. American gymnasts were Olympic darlings. They brought home more medals in their sport than any other country in the world. However,…
Read MoreQ&A: Chris Davis’s plan to beef up Gannett’s investigative reporting
By Carlett Spike, CJR Editor’s Note: This article first ran on September 6, 2016 on the Columbia Journalism Review’s website. When Gannett announced in July that investigative-reporting legend Chris Davis would be joining its team, it was a shock to the industry. In recent years, Gannett had claimed an interest in investing in ambitious reporting…
Read MoreReport on the student debt crisis with our new simplified database
Student debt is quickly becoming a national crisis. But reporting on student loans and college finances has always been thorny, especially when dealing with complicated bureaucracies and patchwork data. Earlier this year, for the first time ever, the Obama Administration released a comprehensive intersection of student population, college performance and “outcome” data, measuring with precise…
Read MoreIRE Radio Podcast | Wards of Neglect
What happens when a state cuts $100 million from its mental health budget? Reporters from the Tampa Bay Times and Sarasota Herald-Tribune spent 18 months finding out. Their Pulitzer-winning investigation exposed deadly violence in Florida’s mental hospitals, where staff shortages, regulatory fumbling and years of neglect were, for years, hidden from the public eye. In…
Read MoreWill a new law really make Illinois’ FOIA stronger? Journalists there aren’t so sure
By Jackie Spinner, CJR Editor’s Note: This article first ran on August 16, 2016 on the Columbia Journalism Review’s website. This summer, the Illinois Legislature stiffened the penalties that can be imposed on public bodies that refuse to comply with the state’s Freedom of Information Act. HB 4715, part of a two-bill package known as “Molly’s…
Read MoreDes Moines Register gets a win in an uphill fight for transparency
By Deron Lee, CJR Editor’s Note: This article first ran on August 15, 2016 on the Columbia Journalism Review’s website. Not long after taking over as editor of the Des Moines Register in 2014, Amalie Nash told CJR that she was determined to uphold the paper’s “longstanding tradition of standing up for public records.” So now, as she prepares…
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