Investigation

BBC, ICIJ: asbestos industry ‘exporting an epidemic’ to developing world

By Rosland Gammon on Jul 30, 2010 in Best Practices, Energy | Utilities | Mining, Featured, Health care, Investigation, Story ideas

The BBC and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) investigated how a global network of lobbyists has spent nearly $100 million since the mid-1980s to preserve the market for asbestos, especially in the developing world where use of the cheap — but carcinogenic – building material is growing.
Among the key findings of their investigation:
“Despite waves of asbestos-related disease in [...]

What does FOIA exemption for SEC in financial reform act mean?

By Melissa Preddy on Jul 29, 2010 in Beats, Featured, Investigation, Investing | Banking, Personal finance, Story ideas

We knew the 2,319-page “Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act” would contain some interesting surprises once all the legal lingo was parsed.
Well, the president’s signature was barely dry on the financial regulatory reform signed into law last week when a new stir erupted.
Fox Business pronounced yesterday that the Securities and Exchange Commission is [...]

Unleash your inner geek with free tech training

By Linda Austin on Jul 28, 2010 in Basics, Best Practices, Career tips, Investigation

A couple of free training opportunities are coming up for journalists interested in polishing their tech skills.
Tech guru Amy Webb’s training site for journalists, Knowledgewebb.net, is offering a free Webinar called, “10 Steps to a Tech-Savvy You,” from 2-3 p.m. EDT on Aug. 5.
“Think of it as a digital media makeover,” Webb writes in an e-mail. [...]

A quick chat with John Daley on covering the environment and other big stories

By Austen Sherman on Jul 27, 2010 in Basics, Green Economy 2010, Green Economy 2010 blog, Green Economy Fellows, Presenters, Investigation Back to Green Seminar Blog >>

John Daley reports for KSL-TV, the NBC affiliate in Salt Lake City, and has covered everything from mine disasters to the Elizabeth Smart case.
He specializes in political, investigative and environmental reporting and was both a Knight Journalism Fellow and a Western Enterprise Reporting Fellow at Stanford University.
He was also a fellow during the Reynolds Center’s [...]

Need help investigating stimulus or lenders? Check these training videos

By Reynolds Staff on Jul 27, 2010 in Best Practices, Economy, IRE 2010 Blog, IRE CAR 2010, Investigation, Investing | Banking, Story ideas

We’ve posted two training videos that may be helpful if you’re investigating the stimulus or tracking mortgage lenders. They are graciously provided to us by Investigative Reporters and Editors from sessions at its Computer Assisted Reporting (CAR) Conference in Phoenix in March.
In the video on the federal economic stimulus, reporters Tom Grabell of ProPublica.org and Ben Poston of the [...]

Find financial stories in the business of higher education

By Melissa Preddy on Jul 27, 2010 in Beats, Economy, Featured, Investigation, Personal finance, Story ideas

With little more than a month to go before Labor Day, back-to-school business topics are hot.
For business writers, financial aid is a rich field to mine, from how-to personal finance articles (see FinAid.org for a wealth of resources) to scams. This Federal Trade Commission report released earlier this month says fraudulent “financial aid consulting services” are [...]

The power of the folo leads LAT to high-flying city salaries

By Rosland Gammon on Jul 27, 2010 in Best Practices, Featured, Investigation, Story ideas

Just like KISS (keep it simple, stupid), this reporting tip never gets old: Follow up.
That doesn’t always mean an update. Following up can also mean checking up on new characters or following a component of a story, as the Los Angeles Times did in this story about salaries for city officials who earn two to three times [...]

What’s Next for the Economy in Your Town: Washington, Oct. 27

The Particulars
Instructors: Gus Faucher, director of
macroeconomics for Moody’s Economy.com;
Ezra Klein, Washington Post Wonkbook blogger;
Jennifer LaFleur, ProPublica
computer-assisted reporting director;
Matt Apuzzo, AP investigative reporter; and
Russ Choma, reporter for Investigative Reporting
Workshop
Location: Washington, D.C.
When: 8:30-4 p.m. Oct. 27
Register for this workshop.
The workshop is the day before the
Online News Association Conference
Oct. 28-30 at the Marriott Renaissance
Washington, D.C., Downtown Hotel.

You’ve seen [...]

Mine contracting databases to find data on local firms

By Melissa Preddy on Jul 23, 2010 in Beats, Featured, Investigation, Small | Private | Non-profit, Story ideas, Technology

Events that sometimes seem far removed – in geography or in time – may have more of a local economic impact than you realize.
So even if you’re nowhere near the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, it may be worth checking around for area companies that have generated business from one facet or another of the [...]