On the Road
CAR training bolsters mineral rights investigation
By Daniel Gilbert Bristol (Va.) Herald Courier On Sunday, our newspaper launched an eight-day investigative series on mineral rights that draws extensively on techniques I learned at IRE’s August boot camp on computer-assisted reporting. The stories focus on landowners forced by the state of Virginia to lease their mineral rights to private companies. The companies…
Read MoreWatchdog Wisdom at Duke University
By Jaimi Dowdell IRE Training Director Just as schools run students through drills for tornadoes and fires, journalists need to do drills to be prepared. One way to incorporate quick-hit, investigative techniques into your daily reporting is to practice and know what you and your newsroom are going to do when faced with breaking news,…
Read MoreTipsheets from workshop now online
By Mark Horvit IRE Executive Director IRE’s Ethnic Media Watchdog Workshop series stopped in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 17-18. Journalists from media throughout the area gathered at American University’s School of Communication for sessions including tracking federal stimulus spending, covering immigration issues and winning open records fights, in addition to computer-assisted reporting training. Several new…
Read MoreKnowing how to maneuver legislative records is half the battle
With a little legislative know-how, even a novice reporter can distinguish between complex political positions between lobbyists, interests groups and politicians, according to veteran reporter Brian Joseph from the Orange County Register. It’s all about knowing where your state government records such routine information.
Read MoreHit the streets for better coverage
New York Times reporter David Gonzalez shares his secrets to great neighborhood beat reporting. For better stories and better sourcing, your time is best spent walking the streets of your coverage area.
Read MoreLocation essential to an informative interview
Andy Hall, executive director and reporter for the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, shares his thoughts on the art of the interview. He points out that a purposive or changing setting can elicit key details on your interview subject. Hall was a panelist at a recent Better Watchdog Workshop in Madison, Wis.
Read MoreTracking documents on your beat
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 love note to NICAR-L
Editor’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 MoreTips on interviewing and sourcing
By Doug Haddix IRE training director There’s nothing wrong – and everything right – with rehearsing interviews, especially those that must be done by phone, according to Manny Garcia, executive editor of El Nuevo Herald in Miami, Fla. Sometimes, a reporter has only a minute or two to make a pitch by phone, given obstacles…
Read MoreUltimate shop talk
By Alexandra Berzon My track at my very first IRE conference inadvertently ended up something that could best be described as “How to talk to people.” I found myself drawn to the panels of legendary investigative journalists candidly describing how they get people to tell them things. My favorite part of reporting is the talking-to-people…
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