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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 More“Retired” NJ budget guru collecting thousands in pension payments
NJ Governor Chris Christie hired Louis C. Goetting in 2010 as a budget guru to help trim the cost of government. But Goetting resembles a problem, not a solution, according to a New Jersey Watchdog analysis of his employment history. Despite the fact that Goetting was hired to help with the budget, he has raked in…
Read MoreWorldwide freedom of information laws widely ignored
“A flurry of freedom of information laws adopted over the past decade has given more than 5.3 billion people worldwide the right, on paper, to know what their governments are doing behind closed doors. However, The Associated Press found in the first worldwide test of this promised freedom of information, that more than half the…
Read MoreFrom the IRE Office: Awards, website change with the times
This is a season of evolution at IRE We have rebuilt our IRE Awards categories to better reflect the ways in which news is gathered and presented. And we have launched a new website that is easier to navigate, makes it easier for you to take advantage of our resources and gives you more control over…
Read MoreReaction to ‘fracking’ investigation typifies journalists’ challenges
By Charles N. Davis Journalists and journalism advocates rightly focus a great deal of energy on freedom of information law, defending the rights of the press and public to access governmental information. Attempts to control the press through legal means constitute a daily threat to democracy and must be met with systemic pushback. Not all…
Read MoreTesting on new Bay Bridge could be flawed
“A Sacramento Bee investigation has found that the California Department of Transportation technician who conducted key testing on the new San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge has been discipilined for fabricating test results on other projects. The technician, Duane Wiles, also failed to verify that his testing gauge was operating properly, as required by Caltrans to ensure…
Read MoreHaitian deportees jailed without cause; face serious health risks
“The United States has deported more than 250 Haitians since January knowing that one in two will be jailed without charges in facilities so filthy they pose life-threatening health risks. An investigation by the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting found that the Obama administration has not followed its own policy of seeking alternatives to deportation…
Read MoreDoctor data back online, but shackled by new restrictions
Open government advocates were outraged when the Department of Health and Human Services decided to cut off access to The National Practitioner Data Bank, a data set that has long been used to investigate lax oversight of physicians. After criticism by multiple organizations, the department relented and put the data bank back online. However, with…
Read MoreIL governor wants to retain jobs; gives tax credits to big companies
“A Chicago Tribune analysis shows IL Governor Pat Quinn has pledged about half a billion dollars in tax credits over the next decade to create 5,709 jobs and retain 22,610 workers through the Economic Development for a Growing Economy program, or EDGE.” Quinn’s focus has shifted from job creation to job retention since he took…
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…
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