IRE News
With tight newsroom budgets, open-source software comes at the right price: free. This year’s Computer-Assisted Reporting conference March 11-14 in Phoenix offers several new hands-on classes: CrimeStat. Analyze crime incident locations with a free spatial statistics program. Flex free visualization software. Build Web applications with open-source software that works like Flash. Free mapping software. Can’t…
Three major investigative reports that used social science research methods as key parts of their probes were named today as winners of the 2009 Philip Meyer Journalism Award. USA Today took first place with “The Smokestack Effect: Toxic Air and America’s Schools.” Reporters Blake Morrison and Brad Heath spearheaded a project that examined the levels…
In a video interview with IRE, Manny Garcia of The Miami Herald explains how Twitter and Facebook are helping his newspaper’s ongoing coverage of the earthquake in Haiti. His advice applies to using social media tools on any breaking news story. Garcia shared his tips and advice during an IRE Ethnic Media Watchdog Workshop in January in…
Earlier this month, Sarah Cohen of Duke University and Jennifer LaFleur of ProPublica helped uncover some of the mysteries of stimulus reporting in a one-hour IRE webinar. A recording of this session is now available for purchase and download here. During the webinar, Cohen and LaFleur explain stimulus basics and how to follow the dollars…
The crisis in Haiti has sparked an outpouring of concern and aid pouring in from around the world. With this goodwill comes an opportunity for charities to shine and journalists to make sure that those charities are doing what they promise. Check up on charitable organizations in your community or educate your readers and viewers…
The 2010 Computer-Assisted Reporting (CAR) Conference is quickly approaching. Make your plans and register TODAY! Last year, participants were scrambling to find a hotel room after the room block had filled. This year we are in Phoenix during Spring Training, and hotel rooms and rates outside our block can be higher than our discounted rate. …
The deadline for submitting entries for the IRE Awards is this Friday, January 15. All entries must be postmarked by midnight on Friday. As you review work from 2009, don’t forget that we have added a new category to the contest that honors breaking news investigations. It is open to all journalists, regardless of media…