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Dig into local leaders
By Doug Haddix, IRE training director Reporters should make one to three calls a day to sources whom they don’t need for a deadline story. That’s the most effective way to develop sources who’ll come through for you later with ideas and help, according to Ryan Gabrielson of California Watch. Gabrielson spoke during an IRE…
Read MoreBreakdown: Traveling dangerously in America series
A 23-story package investigates the state of travel in America uncovering a breakdown of safety systems across the board. Safety recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board are taking over 5 years to implement leaving people vulnerable from air to rail, road to sea. This investigative package was conducted by journalism students from 11 universities…
Read MoreIRE announces new training fellowship for rural journalism
A new fellowship is available for reporters from news organizations that serve a largely rural audience. It will help send such journalists to IRE’s computer-assisted reporting boot camps. The R-CAR Fellowship was created by IRE member Daniel Gilbert, to give rural reporters skills that will help them uncover stories that otherwise would not come to…
Read MoreJustice influenced by prosecutors’ conduct
USA Today’s Brad Heath and Kevin McCoy documented 201 criminal cases across the nation in which federal judges found that prosecutors broke laws and ethics rules. “They caught some prosecutors hiding evidence, found others lying to judges and juries, and said others had broken plea bargains.” The abuses resulted in both the wrongful incarceration of…
Read MoreContractor deaths outnumber military ones in Iraq, Afghanistan
A report by T. Christian Miller of ProPublica reveals that, for the first time, “more private contractors than soldiers were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.” Between January and June 2010, 250 contractors died. During that same period, Pentagon records show 235 soldiers died.
Read MoreIRE census training in Vegas plus webinars
Investigative Reporters and Editors will present a half-day census workshop Oct. 4 during the SPJ national convention in Las Vegas. Full details are online at http://www.spj.org/c-halfday.asp. USA TODAY database editor Paul Overberg and IRE training director Doug Haddix will lead the in-depth sessions. You’ll leave with story ideas, a better understanding of how to use…
Read MoreNonprofit covered nearly $1.9 million in personal expenses
A review of federal tax records by Christopher Baxter of The Morning Call (Allentown, Pa.) found that now-former leaders of a nationally prominent nonprofit with close and growing ties to Easton, Pa. improperly used nearly $1.9 million from the group’s tax-free coffers for personal expenses between 2003 and 2008. The Nurture Nature Foundation, headquartered in…
Read MoreTwo photojournalists shot, one killed in Juarez
Two photographers for the Mexican daily newspaper El Diario de Juarez were shot Thursday by unidentified gunmen outside the newspaper offices. Luis Carlos Santiago, a 21-year-old recently-hired photographer, was killed; and another photographer interning at the paper was injured. The assistant editorial director of El Diario, Pedro Torres Estrada has called the attack one against…
Read MoreSpecial treatment ran deep for OneUnited
A report by R. Jeffrey Smith of The Washington Post reveals that OneUnited Bank “received special treatment that went beyond what the Treasury Department or the bank and its political supporters have previously disclosed.” Despite multiple internal warnings, Congress and regulators “broke with customary practices” to award the bank federal bailout funds. The story includes…
Read MoreLoophole allows attorneys to exploit Illinois residents facing foreclosure
A loophole in state and federal laws has made it easy for some attorneys to take advantage of Illinois residents struggling to keep their homes, according to an investigation by the Chicago Tribune. In 2006, Illinois and other states passed legislation that banned charging upfront fees for loan modifications. But the law doesn’t apply to…
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