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Posts by hdcoadmin
Next week: Tune in the results of a national research study into investigative journalism
Next week the results of a national survey research project conducted by AR&D and IRE will be revealed. Join us for a webinar on Tuesday, July 30 at 11 a.m. Central Time. What types of investigative stories are the most compelling? Why might investigative reporting save your newsroom? Is the crowd ready to help you…
Read MoreFlorida’s chronic, tragic record of pedestrian crashes
The Orlando Sentinel completed its three-part series “Blood In the Streets” this week, examining Central Florida’s chronic, tragic record of pedestrian crashes, the worst in the country. Using state and federal data, reporters Scott Powers and Arelis Hernandez reviewed thousands of pedestrian crashes to target scores of interviews. Their findings: The problems are rooted in many decades…
Read MoreMentally troubled students overwhelm schools
The Star Tribune reports that one boy’s struggle with “Mr. Angry” highlights a growing dilemma: Thousands of kids with mental problems rely on schools for care. Gianni is one of thousands of students afflicted with serious mental health problems who are flooding into Minnesota schools because they have nowhere else to go. Their complex needs…
Read MoreFOIA Machine sees early success on Kickstarter
On July 16, a team of journalists and developers launched a Kickstarter campaign for a project called FOIA Machine. They asked for $17,500 to build a tool to help journalists and citizens request public information — a “TurboTax for government records,” the team called it. Two days later, they passed that goal. A week later,…
Read MoreOverworked and Understaffed? How the Chicago Police Fight Gun Violence
“Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s new anti-gang strategy seems to be working, but it comes with a high price,” according to an article from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.
Read MoreUsing Outdated Data, FEMA Is Wrongly Placing Homeowners in Flood Zones
“From Maine to Oregon, local floodplain managers say FEMA’s recent flood maps — which dictate the premiums that 5.5 million Americans pay for flood insurance — have often been built using outdated, inaccurate data. Homeowners, in turn, have to bear the cost of fixing FEMA’s mistakes,” according to a ProPublica report.
Read MoreSpoils of the sea elude many in an Alaska antipoverty plan
“Six nonprofit groups arose on the Bering Sea shore, and they have invested mightily in ships, real estate and processing plants. Over two decades, the groups amassed a combined net worth of $785 million. But the results on the ground, in rural community and economic development, have been deeply uneven, and nonexistent for many people…
Read MoreU.S. reviewing 27 death penalty convictions for FBI forensic testimony errors
The Washington Post reports: “The unusual collaboration came after The Washington Post reported last year that authorities had known for years that flawed forensic work by FBI hair examiners may have led to convictions of potentially innocent people, but officials had not aggressively investigated problems or notified defendants.”
Read MoreUN: Unexploded ordnance killing Afghan civilians as U.S.-led coalition abandons bases
“The U.S.-led coalition is failing to clear unexploded munitions from the Afghan bases it’s demolishing as it withdraws its combat forces, leaving a deadly legacy that has killed and maimed a growing number of civilians, United Nations demining officials charge,” according to a McClatchy report.
Read MoreHow Pennsylvania Schools Made a Cheating Scandal Disappear
“Given the scope of the issue and the lack of action since, it appears Pennsylvania is covering up one of the country’s largest cheating scandals — and doing so in plain sight,” according to a report in Philadelphia CityPaper.
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