The early bird deadline for 
It's time for the NICAR 2026 T-shirt contest!
At the 2009 IRE Conference in Baltimore, IRE members will be electing six board members. (See the candidate list.) They also will vote on a proposed amendment to the organization’s Articles of Incorporation to lift the restriction on the number of academic members who can serve on the board. Currently only one member of the…
Read MoreThe Charlotte Observer published a two-part investigation into the Inspiration Network, which has become one of the world’s fastest growing religious broadcasters largely by repeating this on-air pitch: God brings financial favor to those who donate to the network. Those contributions have turned the network’s CEO into one of the nation’s best-paid non-profit leaders, with…
Read MoreWe’ve received lots of questions about whether the optional Computer-Assisted Reporting day at the Baltimore conference June 11-14 is suitable for people new to CAR. The answer is “Yes.” The day will serve as a good introduction to the tools and tricks of analyzing electronic information. In addition, hands-on classes Friday through Saturday will give…
Read MoreCheck out the IRE on the Road blog for several new postings, including: Tips on making the most of the computer-assisted reporting day on June 11 during the IRE conference in Baltimore. Advice from reporter Ron Campbell of The Orange County Register on digging deeper on covering businesses and their key leaders. A strategy for…
Read MoreIRE training director Jaimi Dowdell and NICAR academic adviser David Herzog have assumed responsibilities for the IRE and NICAR Database Library. Like many companies and nonprofits, IRE has seen a drop in revenue this year. As a result, we were forced to cut expenses. As part of that reduction, we eliminated funding for the Database…
Read More“Commercial real-estate loans could generate losses of $100 billion by the end of next year at more than 900 small and midsize U.S. banks if the economy’s woes deepen, according to an analysis by The Wall Street Journal.” Maurice Tamman and David Enrich report that losses on commercial real-estate loans are much greater than loses…
Read MoreContractors receiving stimulus funds for nuclear cleanup sites across the country include “many that have been cited for serious safety violations and costly mistakes,” according to a report by Kimberly Kindy of The Washington Post. “In the case of the Energy Department program, private contractors do all cleanup work, and they have been involved from…
Read MoreTough economic times and financial fraud go hand in hand, from Charles Ponzi and his 1919 pyramid scheme in Boston to Bernie Madoff and massive investor deception. Regardless of your beat, there never has been a better time to do business-related investigations, according to reporter Ron Campbell of The Orange County Register. While everyone’s making…
Read MoreThe Baltimore Marriott Waterfront has given us an extension to make reservations at our group rate for the 2009 IRE Conference. Make your reservation before Monday, May 25 to take advantage of the group rate and the added incentives. Rooms in our block are going quickly, so book your room today before they are gone.…
Read MoreFollowing a mysterious outbreak of salmonella in 2007 linked to pot pies from ConAgra Foods, corporations have moved to place the responsibility for “food safety” on the consumer through warnings and instructions on how to prepare processed food items. The New York Times reports, “Increasingly, the corporations that supply Americans with processed foods are unable…
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