On the Road
New York Times’ Abramson to keynote 2012 IRE Conference
Jill Abramson, who took over as executive editor of The New York Times in September, will deliver the keynote address at the 2012 IRE Conference in Boston. She is the first woman to hold that position in the newspaper’s more than 160-year history. More than 800 journalists and journalism educators are expected to attend the four-day conference…
Read MoreGuidelines for dealing with confidential sources
Avoiding landmines when dealing with confidential sources was the focus of one of the panels highlighting a joint workshop held last week by IRE and the Canadian Association of Journalists. More than 90 journalists gathered at the Ryerson University School of Journalism to learn more about key issues facing journalists on both sides of the…
Read MorePiercing the secrecy of private companies
Investigating private companies can stymie even the most dogged reporter. They aren’t subject to Sunshine requests and they don’t file paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission. But chances are, you can still find out a lot about most of them. Ames Alexander, a reporter for The Charlotte Observer, detailed some of these strategies at…
Read MoreIRE looks to hire new training director
Training Director Doug Haddix has accepted a position at the Kiplinger Program in Public Affairs Reporting at Ohio State University. He has served as one of two IRE training directors for the past three years, helping plan conferences and leading dozens of training sessions. Haddix also edited The IRE Journal, IRE’s award-winning, quarterly magazine on…
Read MoreLive chat with Charles Lewis, executive editor Investigative Reporting Workshop
Mark your calendars: Charles Lewis, executive editor of the Investigative Reporting Workshop at the American University School of Communication, will chat live at the Reynolds Center’s BusinessJournalism.org at 9:30 a.m. (PDT) on Sept. 27. This hour-long conversation will cover investigative journalism and how to turn reporting into a book project. Lewis was the founder of the Center for Public…
Read MoreBack to school with data and documents
By Kyle DeasGraduate student, University of Missouri It’s that time of year again: the school supply aisles at your local stores are crammed with people; the summer heat is giving its last dying gasps; and education beat reporters across the country are being asked, for the second or fifth or fifteenth time, to write a…
Read MoreCovering Hurricane Irene: The next few days and beyond
By Kyle DeasGraduate student, University of Missouri It’s looking increasingly likely that Hurricane Irene will wreak havoc up and down the Eastern seaboard this weekend. As the storm gathers strength and speed, you may be wondering how to cover its landing and the aftermath. This past week, after an earthquake hit Virginia, we published a blog post called “Breaking…
Read MoreBreaking News Tips: Resources to cover earthquakes, other natural disasters
IRE is collecting resources for journalist who are covering today’s earthquake, which affected large portions of the Eastern Seaboard. Share ideas with us at tips@ire.org or send us a note on Twitter or Facebook. Story suggestions: Request your community’s emergency/disaster plans. After the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, many areas beefed up their disaster response plans. Were those procedures followed?…
Read MoreTips on covering immigrants
By Doug HaddixIRE Training Director Full immersion in local immigrant communities produces the most compelling stories, according to Kirk Semple, an immigration reporter for The New York Times. “It helps to be curious. It helps to be voracious,” Semple told participants at an IRE Better Watchdog Workshop this week in Orlando. The full-day workshop was…
Read MoreStories for broadcast reporters to tackle this summer
By Kyle Deas Graduate Student, University of Missouri With spring sweeps here and the summer fast approaching, the enterprising broadcast reporter may be on the lookout for ways to make a splash. Here are a few ideas and resources for investigative stories with high public interest and a quick turnaround. Boating accidents: If you live…
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