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Covering 21st century policing in the social media age
By Andrew Kreighbaum Washington Post reporter Kimberly Kindy said social media has had a profound role in shaping the paper’s coverage of police shootings in 2015. When someone is shot and killed by an officer, readers demand answers in real time from both authorities and the media. Quantifying the issue helps journalists answer those questions…
Read MoreSatellites and secret cameras: How the Associated Press freed 2,000 slaves
By Moriah Balingit It’s an island few outside of Indonesia had ever heard of. Accessible only half the year because of violent monsoons, Benjina is located in the southernmost portion of Indonesia. The island held a shocking secret: it was where slaves languished — sometimes in cages — before they were forced onto boats and…
Read MoreDepartment of Veterans Affairs wins 2016 Golden Padlock
Investigative Reporters and Editors has named the Department of Veterans Affairs as the winner of its annual Golden Padlock Award recognizing the most secretive U.S. agency or individual. The VA was selected for this honor for withholding records about the qualifications of medical staff who evaluated thousands of veterans for potential brain injuries following service to their country. When TEGNA…
Read MoreA conversation with Tonya Simpson of WTMJ-Milwaukee
Tonya SimpsonPhoto by Aliah Williamson At the IRE Conference in New Orleans, 2016 Knight Scholar Aliah Williamson spoke with Tonya Simpson, executive producer of the investigative team and special projects at WTMJ in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Williamson: What interests you about investigative journalism? Simpson: I feel like all journalism is important, sharing stories and shining a light…
Read MoreHow journalists cover crime and policing in the wake of Ferguson
By Reade Levinson Michael Brown’s death in Ferguson, Missouri changed the way journalists cover law enforcement. At the 2016 IRE Conference in New Orleans, civil rights activist DeRay Mckesson joined reporters Oliver Laughland of the Guardian US, Errin Haines Whack of the Associated Press, and Wesley Lowery of the Washington Post to discuss what’s next…
Read MoreA conversation with Francisco Vara-Orta of the University of Missouri
At the IRE Conference in New Orleans, 2016 Knight Scholar Arriana McLymore spoke with attendee Francisco Vara-Orta, a graduate student at the University of Missouri. McLymore: What interested you in journalism? Vara-Orta: My mother always had newspapers in the house. We didn’t always have the money to buy certain things, but she would say that…
Read MoreBest practices for investigating litigious billionaires
By Taeler De Haes We live in a world of billionaires who exert quite a bit of influence over our lives, especially as reporters. At the recent IRE Conference in New Orleans, a panel of investigative journalists discussed getting sued by billionaires, including Donald Trump. They gave tips on how to bulletproof their work, defend…
Read MoreSeven elected to IRE Board of Directors
IRE members elected seven new directors to the IRE board on Saturday evening at the organization’s annual conference in New Orleans. The newly elected members are: Sarah Cohen, The New York Times; Andrew Donohue, Reveal + The Center for Investigative Reporting; Ellen Gabler, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; Jill Riepenhoff, The Columbus Dispatch; Nicole Vap, KUSA-TV-Denver;…
Read MoreHow to find and use data to cover the lower courts
By Ashley Balcerzak Reporters write story after story about the vacant U.S. Supreme Court seat left by Antonin Scalia. But many news outlets overlook the benches in their local areas that can impact their communities much more directly: municipal courts. During the IRE panel “Do criminal and municipal courts treat defendants fairly?” Kendall Taggart from BuzzFeed News, Ted Gest…
Read MoreTips for small newsrooms and freelancers wanting to take on big investigations
By Reade Levinson How do you begin investigative reporting when you’re short on cash? Start by searching Google for documents tagged “confidential.” At the “Investigative Reporting on a Shoestring” panel, past and present freelancers — including Lee Fang from The Intercept, Kathryn Joyce, a freelance journalist and author of two books, Trevor Aaronson from the…
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