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Data science, meet campaign finance
If you ever get the urge to feel a chill run down your spine, particularly if you’re interested in political journalism, give Sasha Issenberg’s new book The Victory Lab a good, close read. Here’s the headline: When it comes to using data to understand politics, journalists are playing checkers while political consultants are playing chess. Just listen to…
Read MoreExtra Extra Monday: Weekend enterprise outside of election coverage
Welcome to IRE’s roundup of the weekend’s many enterprise stories from around the country. We’ll highlight the document digging, field work and data analysis that made their way into centerpieces in print, broadcast and online from coast to coast. Coverage this week was dominated by the election, but there was some watchdog coverage to be found…
Read MoreParking ticket abuse rampant by Rochester Police
“A month-long investigation by the Democrat and Chronicle revealed that the Police Department routinely violated its own policies by fixing tickets for officers and their friends and relatives for flimsy excuses or none at all.” Through an open-records request, the Democrat and Chronicle found that between August 2009 and July 2012, a total of $7,800 parking tickets…
Read MoreWith no oversight, police can ignore domestic violence laws
“Wisconsin’s laws on how police must respond to domestic violence are among the most comprehensive in the country, but no one has the authority to enforce them, a Journal Sentinel investigation has found. And if the laws are ignored, there are no penalties.” The Journal Sentinel’s investigation notes that law enforcement agencies have to have…
Read MoreFelons, dead people are eligible voters on final Palm Beach County roll
“Peter Costello, a felon convicted of racketeering and fraud in 1998, has no right to vote because his civil rights never have been restored.But that didn’t stop the registered Republican from casting a ballot in the Aug. 14 primary, and, he said in an interview with The Palm Beach Post, submitting an absentee ballot for…
Read MoreAlleged HISD fee scheme detailed
“HISD trustee Larry Marshall voted repeatedly to award taxpayer-funded contracts to companies that hired his longtime business associate – who gave him a cut of her earnings, according to court records, deposition testimony and interviews.” According to the Chronicle’s investigation, an associate said she gave Marshall a percentage of her fees because of his help with consulting.…
Read MoreDocument Cloud, Overview help AP investigate vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan’s record
Jack Gillum of The Associated Press recently published a story showing that vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan has relied on many of the programs he’s criticized and suggested cutting. The report wouldn’t have been possible without tools like DocumentCloud and Overview, Gillum said in a post on the Overview project’s website. DocumentCloud enabled Gillum to analyze, annotate…
Read MoreInvestigating charities calling for disaster relief money
In the wake of Sandy’s destruction, countless efforts will be made to help victims. Already, ABC/Disney has designated a “Day of giving,” the National Football League and it’s players association has pledged $1 million to the Red Cross and iTunes is directly accepting donations. Countless calls will be made for the public to donate to charities large and…
Read MoreStorms increase insurance rates, but is it justified?
As homeowners begin to pick up the pieces following the destruction of Hurricane Sandy, their focus turns to insurance. Echoing the situation on the east coast, the Minneapolis Star Tribune investigated the topic of homeowner’s insurance premiums following natural disasters in the state of Minnesota. The Star Tribune found that rates were steadily hiked up…
Read MoreBehind The Story: Investigating credit report errors
Courtesy of The Columbus Dispatch When Jill Riepenhoff and Mike Wagner began researching credit report errors in 2010, virtually everyone they spoke with knew someone who had been affected. Although the industry lacks an official outlet for consumers to dispute credit claims, the reporters’ nationwide FOIA requests returned nearly 28,000 files from the Federal Trade…
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