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Transparency Watch: Yearlong quest for open records yields story on million dollar spending
This is the first post under Transparency Watch, an occasional series from IRE tracking the fight for open records. If you have a story about a quest for public records you’d like to share, email us at web@ire.org. By Laura Bischoff, The Dayton Daily News The Dayton Daily News published a hard hitting Sunday story on…
Read MoreBehind the Story: How the marketing of Oxycontin trumped science
For more than a year, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has been investigating prescription drugs and the dangerous side effects of using opioids ot treat chronic pain. The latest installment of the series tracks the lives of chronic pain sufferers who praised the drug in a 1998 promotional video. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporters John Fauber and…
Read MoreNJ state police rely heavily on opinion, rather than exams, for promotions
“The New Jersey State Police are one of only two statewide law enforcement agencies in the country to rely almost entirely on the opinion of supervisors for promotions, a practice most discarded years ago in favor of more objective written and verbal exams.” “A Star-Ledger survey found that the Rhode Island State Police, with a…
Read MoreThe Charlotte Observer and The News & Observer investigate inflated prices on cancer drugs
In a joint investigation, The Charlotte Observer and The News & Observer of Raleigh found that large nonprofit hospitals in North Carolina are dramatically inflating prices on chemotherapy drugs at a time when they are cornering more of the market on cancer care. The newspapers found hospitals are routinely marking up prices on cancer drugs…
Read MoreLaw enables over-production of Oregon medical marijuana, enabling traffickers to exploit state program
The illicit trafficking of Oregon medical marijuana is widespread and highly lucrative, according to The Oregonian’s analysis of highway stops, police reports and federal and state court records. Exploitation of the 14-year-od program is made possible by lax state oversight and loose rules lead to the production of far more pot than a typical patient needs,…
Read MoreHealth care reporting: AHCJ announces yearlong fellowship, and IRE resources to help coverage
Working on a project about health care systems? About to start one? Here are some resources to help: The Association of Health Care Journalists is offering Reporting Fellowships on Health Care Performance, a yearlong program that funds reporting on health care systems in the United States. The program is designed for mid-career journalists, who continue their…
Read MoreBehind The Story: Mother Jones and the 47 percent
Mother Jones magazine shook up the presidential campaign on Monday when it released a video it obtained of Republican candidate Mitt Romney speaking at a private fundraiser. The video included the following comment from Romney, which many have taken issue with: “There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no…
Read MoreWhy some medical professionals charge more than others
“Medicare has emerged as a potent campaign issue, with both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney vowing to tame its spending growth while protecting seniors. But there’s been little talk about some of the arcane factors that drive up costs, such as billing and coding practices, and what to do about them.” “The Center for Public…
Read MoreData to fact check economic claims
Economic issues have taken center stage during this year’s elections. Candidates for office are trying to tap into voters’ discontent about unemployment, government spending and housing. It’s easy for journalists and the public to get lost when politicians toss out economic statistics to score points. So IRE and the Sunlight Foundation have teamed up to…
Read MoreIRE members winners in Knight News Challenge
Three IRE members were awarded Knight Foundation grants that will create online resources for journalists. The grants are part of six news innovations intended to improve access to information on local communities, air quality, elections, demographics and more that in total received $2.22 million as winners of Knight News Challenge: Data. The Knight Foundation said…
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