“In a rolling investigation, Chicago Tribune reporters David Jackson and Gary Marx examine government’s haphazard efforts to assist one of the city’s hardest-hit neighborhoods. Tracing where the money goes, their latest installment how a politically-connected pastor lives in a lavish suburban mansion while some tenants in his apartment buildings endure substandard conditions and go without…
Read More“A 10-month investigation by The Dispatch found that residents pay markups of 5 percent to 40 percent when their landlords enter into contracts with certain submeter companies. If the customer fails to pay, the companies sometimes resort to collection tactics that would be illegal for regulated utilities, including shutting off heat in winter and even eviction.”
Read More“So far, the largest financial beneficiary of Oklahoma’s mortgage settlement program is a young attorney who used a system of vouchers and possibly a family connection to acquire dozens of clients.”
Read MoreFacing Foreclosure: Oklahoma’s mortgage settlement program benefits attorneys | Tulsa World“So far, the largest financial beneficiary of Oklahoma’s mortgage settlement program is a young attorney who used a system of vouchers and possibly a family connection to acquire dozens of clients.” Shocking cost investigation: Utility middle men charge renters inflated prices | Columbus Dispatch“A 10-month…
Read MoreGeorge Washington University admitted publicly for the first time Friday that it puts hundreds of undergraduate applicants on its waitlist each year because they cannot pay GW’s tuition.
Read MoreBy the end of the year, the oil giant BP is expected to complete work on new equipment that will more than triple the amount of petroleum coke produced by its Whiting refinery on Lake Michigan, the Chicago Tribune reports. The project will turn the sprawling Indiana plant into the world’s second-largest source of petroleum…
Read MoreLast weekend IRE hosted a new bootcamp for journalists to learn web scraping and programming in Python. IRE offers workshops like this often — check our events and training page for opportunities to learn new data skills. But if you were unable to make a bootcamp or just can’t wait until NICAR14 to start learning, here are some resources to help…
Read MoreGreen-on-blue (or insider) attacks have been sweeping Afghanistan, leaving dozens of Americans dead, Mother Jones reports. The surge of internal attacks came out of nowhere. In 2007 and 2008, there were just six such attacks combined against members of the US-led International Security Assistance Force. The following year there were 8, the next, 15. In 2011, there…
Read MoreThe deadline for submissions to this year’s NICAR T-shirt contest has been extended from Oct. 18 to Oct. 23. Remember to please send official entries to shirts@ire.org. Only submissions sent to that email will be entered in the contest. Designs will be posted online as they are received. Voting will open shortly after we’ve received all…
Read MoreThe Knight Foundation has published a new book titled “Searchlights and Sunglasses: Field Notes from the Digital Age of Journalism,” which looks at the challenges facing journalism and includes essays on investigative reporting. Written by Eric Newton of the Knight Foundation, the text is intended to double as a tool for journalism educators, with more…
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