The early bird deadline for 
It's time for the NICAR 2026 T-shirt contest!
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 MoreA 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 MoreEditor’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 MoreA 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…
Read MoreCincinnati’s mayor and Hamilton County commissioners are among those who have taken advantage of an obscure provision in stadium lease agreements with the Cincinnati Reds and Bengals allowing them free use of a luxury box. The Cincinnati Enquirer’s Gregory Korte reported that politicians have used the seats — often for free, and with free food…
Read MoreWhile slightly down, earmark spending is still well above the levels deemed acceptable by Obama, according to an analysis by USA Today. “The Senate included $12.6 billion for earmarks in the 12 annual spending bills for 2010, while the House versions contain $9.1 billion, the analysis shows. That’s down 9% in the Senate and 13%…
Read MorePain is part of football. According to a series by The Post and Courier (Charleston, S.C.), so are painkiller injections on game days at college programs all over the country. Despite concerns about the possibility of increased risk of prescription painkiller addiction, the otherwise meticulous NCAA has virtually no oversight or policy regarding painkiller injections…
Read MoreBy Tracey Eaton, Flagler College Some reporters wanted to explore eastern Bolivia, where hundreds of Guaraní Indian families live in a state of semi-slavery. Others proposed investigating women’s rights and sexuality. No doubt, Bolivian reporters are eager to dig into all kinds of difficult and intriguing issues. Mexican journalist Pedro Enrique Armendares and I found…
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