IRE News
Coming soon: Learn how to use online genealogy records in your reporting
Photo from “A letter from England,” courtesy of the Providence Journal If you’ve ever struggled to find relatives of a person you’re profiling or verify a source’s story, we’re putting together a webinar that’s sure to help. Paul Parker of the Providence Journal will explain how to use genealogy records as a reporting tool. Using popular…
Read MoreIRE welcomes new Google Journalism Fellow
This summer IRE will welcome Aram Chung, a student at Columbia University in New York, as its Google Journalism Fellow. Chung is working on a dual graduate degree in journalism and computer science. She is focusing on computational journalism, data visualization, news design and social media. Chung has participated in the ProPublica Pair Programming Project,…
Read MoreIRE nomination call for most secretive government agency or individual
The Golden Padlock Award. Photo: Travis Hartman Investigative Reporters and Editors is now welcoming nominations for its second annual Golden Padlock award recognizing the most secretive government agency in the United States. “This award acknowledges government officials across the country who excel in the art of suppressing public information,” said David Cay Johnston, president of…
Read MoreBehind the Story: How the Chicago Sun-Times helped bring a nephew of Mayor Richard M. Daley to justice in a 10-year-old homicide
By Paul Saltzman, Chicago Sun-Times On Jan. 31, 2014, a nephew of former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in a death a decade earlier. Richard J. “R.J.” Vanecko admitted doing exactly what an investigation by the Chicago Sun-Times had revealed in early 2011 he did — and what police and…
Read MoreUpdated HAZMAT database available from NICAR
Now current through March 2014, the Hazardous Materials Incident Reports data contains information on unintentional releases of hazardous materials during transportation in air, over water, on highways and on railroads. Available fields include the route, city and state in which the incident occurred, as well as detailed information about where the materials were headed and how they…
Read MoreJoin IRE at Meetups in Chicago, San Francisco
Come see old friends, make new ones, network and exchange your favorite tools for investigative reporting at two IRE Meetups next month. IRE Bay Area: Tuesday, April 22 from 7-9 p.m. at Comal IRE Chicago: Thursday, April 24 at 6:30 p.m. at BlackFinn Ameripub You don’t need to be an IRE member to attend, but…
Read MoreUpdated National Bridge Inventory database available from NICAR
Now current through 2013, the National Bridge Inventory database can help you assess the soundness of bridges in your area. Journalists can use the data to investigate bridges by identifying those with structural problems, or that haven’t been recently inspected. Other key fields include average daily traffic and overall sufficiency rating. The records represent information…
Read MoreIRE, SPJ, NECIR offer 2 additional workshops in Chicago, Fort Worth
Do you have reporters or editors on your staff who would benefit from training to help them produce enterprise and investigative stories? Thanks to a grant from Sigma Delta Chi Foundation, the Society for Professional Journalists is working with Investigative Reporters and Editors and the New England Center for Investigative Reporting to offer two-day Watchdog Reporting Workshops for journalists from your region. …
Read MoreBehind the Story: How the Los Angeles Times turned an anonymous tip into a front-page story
Paige St. John No such records exist. That’s the message Paige St. John received when she requested audit records on the Los Angeles County Probation Department’s GPS monitoring program. Despite the rocky start, the Los Angeles Times reporter went on to break the story about trivial alerts from GPS monitors overwhelming probation officers in LA…
Read MoreIRE members win awards for health care reporting
Several IRE members were among the winners of the 2013 Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. The Association of Health Care Journalists received more than 475 entries across 12 categories. Read more about the awards. The following IRE members received recognition: Alison Young and John Hillkirk, USA TODAY, took second place in the Investigative…
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