Posts by hdcoadmin
University of Iowa Hospitals sharing patient information with fundraisers
“Clark Kauffman of The Des Moines Register reports that the University of Iowa Hospitals is giving patient names and specific patient-treatment information to a fundraising organization that solicits donations for the hospital through written appeals signed by physicians.” “The hospital is also engaged in what it calls “wealth screenings of patients” as part of an…
Read MoreBehind the Story: Disproportionate lending by race discovered with data
Photo credit:Joanne Lawton/Washington Business Journal It’s one thing to say African American entrepreneurs are recovering from the economic downturn slower than white entrepreneurs, it’s another to explain why. That’s what Washington Business Journal reporter Bryant Switzky did using a database from the Small Business Administration and other datasets related to the Community Reinvestment Act. “The…
Read MoreMillions spent on high-end routers for small, rural areas
“Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette reporter Eric Eyre found that the state of West Virginia used $24 million in federal stimulus money to purchase more than a thousand “enterprise-class” Internet routers at $22,600 each even though the West Virginia Office of Technology warned that the routers were “grossly oversized. “The report states that the high-end routers were…
Read MoreNational tutoring program rampant with fraud
In a three-part series, the Star Tribune has found that a billion-dollar federal tutoring program is rife with fraud and mismanagement. The program, officially known as Supplemental Educational Services, is one of the lesser known and little scrutinized portions of No Child Left Behind. The investigation found that it has been lightly regulated by the…
Read MoreLawyers playing key role in fundraising for the 2012 presidential election
The Daily Business Review takes a closer look at the 2012 presidential election and the role lawyers have played in fundraising. They combed through FEC and OpenSecrets.org records to compile a story, with numerous charts with breakdowns on lawyers helping President Obama and Mitt Romney and the percentage of their funds that come from lawyers.…
Read MoreJoin more than 1,000 colleagues at IRE Boston next week
More than 1,000 people are registered to attend the IRE Conference in Boston next week, and it’s not too late for you to join them. While early-bird registration has closed, you can register at the conference. Things kick off with a free half-day session on election coverage on June 13, the pre-day on June 14, and…
Read MoreAn in-depth look at Florida’s ‘stand your ground’ law
“In light of the Trayvon Martin case, the Tampa Bay Times spent two months identifying and analyzing self-defense cases in which defendants invoked Florida’s controversial “stand your ground” law.” The paper collected photos of victims and defendants and built nearly 200 case studies into an interactive database. The Times used public records to identify victim…
Read MoreNarcotic pain medicine use on the rise among seniors
“A Journal Sentinel investigation by John Fauber and Ellen Gabler has found that, increasingly, narcotic drugs have been prescribed for chronic pain, an area where their safety and effectiveness is unproven, especially for older patients.” “Though a growing number of experts believe the drugs may do more harm than good, the country’s aging population has…
Read MoreHospitals charging up to 10 times the amount for state-mandated test
In a report by the Springfield New-Leader, it has been found that some hospitals in the southwest Missouri region are charging close to 10 times the amount for a state-mandated blood test on infants. “The state charges $65 for the blood test which includes processing the blood, delivering it to the state lab, receiving the…
Read MoreIRE announces winners of Freelance Fellowship competition
Columbia, Mo. – A very strong group of stories were submitted for the IRE Freelance Fellowship competition. The winners of the Freelance Fellowship for 2012 are: Stephy Chung, freelance journalist working in Beijing, for her story “Rising Prostitution among Migrant Workers in Beijing” and Brendan Borrell, a freelance journalist who won for his story “The…
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