Posts by hdcoadmin
Hit the streets for better coverage
New York Times reporter David Gonzalez shares his secrets to great neighborhood beat reporting. For better stories and better sourcing, your time is best spent walking the streets of your coverage area.
Read MoreKnowing how to maneuver legislative records is half the battle
With a little legislative know-how, even a novice reporter can distinguish between complex political positions between lobbyists, interests groups and politicians, according to veteran reporter Brian Joseph from the Orange County Register. It’s all about knowing where your state government records such routine information.
Read MoreLocation essential to an informative interview
Andy Hall, executive director and reporter for the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, shares his thoughts on the art of the interview. He points out that a purposive or changing setting can elicit key details on your interview subject. Hall was a panelist at a recent Better Watchdog Workshop in Madison, Wis.
Read MoreInternational adoptions fraught with problems
David Shaffer of the Star Tribune (Minneapolis, Minn.) presented a detailed look at how foreign adoptions often lead to nothing but heartbreak for everyone involved, from the birth mother to the adoptive parent. The two-day series also exposed a glaring loophole in a newly implemented treaty aimed at cutting down on corruption in the international…
Read MoreChildren failed by Los Angeles County child welfare system
A report by Kim Christensen and Garrett Therolf of The Los Angeles Times reveals that the Los Angeles County child welfare system is riddled with problems. In many cases, children died with little notice by the system or the public. “At least 268 children who had passed through the child welfare system died from January…
Read MoreTracking documents on your beat
By Doug Haddix IRE training director Each year, education reporter Chastity Pratt Dawsey of the Detroit Free Press files public records requests for five documents on her beat. She requests other records and data as story ideas emerge but makes sure that her sources know they need to produce key information regularly for her. Her…
Read MoreBureaucratic failings put childrens’ lives at risk
In their continuing series on child welfare in Wisconsin, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporters Gina Barton and Crocker Stephenson focused on the case of Will Robert Johnson who died at five months of age. After reviewing hundreds of pages of documents about the case — many of which are not public and were obtained from outside…
Read MoreLoans brokered by nonprofits contributed to housing crisis
A review of government and court records by the Huffington Post Investigation Fund shows that two nonprofit groups worked closely with some of the nation’s biggest home builders to broker tens of billions of dollars in no-money-down mortgages. Now these loans are defaulting at up to three times the rate of other FHA loans, one…
Read MoreA love note to NICAR-L
Editor’s note: This post appeared on NICAR-L, an IRE listserv dedicated to computer-assisted reporting techniques. The NICAR list has helped hundreds of journalists tackle technical issues large and small. Be sure to check out this list and its archives as well as all of the other listservs that IRE has to offer. By Jamie Smith…
Read MoreNonprofit CEO waived some pay after compensation criticized
A recent investigation by The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer into Franklin Graham’s soaring compensation prompted the evangelist to give up much of his pay at the two Christian charities he leads. As president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse, Graham received total compensation of $1.2 million last year. He was paid more than…
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