The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. Add to that more than 3,000 tipsheets from our national conferences on how to cover specific beats or do specific stories and you have a resource that no reporter or editor should be without. These stories and tipsheets are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Logged-in members can view the tipsheets free online:
Search results for "consumer data" ...
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Data on Deadline
This tipsheet lists helpful websites to use when you need to access data on deadline. Suggested data links include the American Community Survey to campaign finance data to tracking airplane tail numbers.
Tags: data; quick hit; deadline; census; campaign finance; aviation; transportation; economics; FAA; NHTSA; automobile; consumer safety; politics; courts; federal spending; databases; reporting
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Trouble in the Walls: Defective Chinese drywal
LaFleur and Donald discuss using data when reporting - they stress the need to know what data you're looking at, and what are the best tools to use for analysis.
Tags: data; analysis; mixed categorical; continuous; indexes; Gini coefficient;
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Bank, Finance and Lobbying Data
This tipsheet lists resources for covering information related to finance. Included is a brief summation of the information contained on each site. Subjects covered on the tipsheet include: banks, finance, and lobbying; inflation; labor and employment data; consumer data.
Tags: banks; finance; lobbying; consumer data; inflation; labor; employment; hedge funds; short selling; CPI-U; CPI-U-RS; Center for Responsible Lending; National Consumer Law Center; Consumer Federation of America
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Covering Fuel: How to use data to write local stories
This PowerPoint presentation describes how to find data about fuel and gas prices, as well as how to localize those stories. Torres uses a South Florida Sun-Sentinel story as an example how to to write and present this consumer oriented story.
Tags: fuel; gas; petroleum; mapping; Google Maps; consumer affairs
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CAR and Consumer stories: using data and documents to build stories that matter
Torres covers all the basics of using CAR for consumer stories. The tipsheet begins with a lot of advice based on the author's own experience covering this beat. The tipsheet ends with a list of sources for consumer affairs stories, such as the National Consumer Law Center and Consumer Reports.
Tags: consumer; story ideas; beat reporting; watchdog; sources
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Fuel Stories and CAR: How ou can use data to write consumer-friendly stories
Torres offers tips for reporters who are interesting in writing about petroleum. She includes advice about understanding gasoline pump inspections and finding data from state regulators. The author also suggests sources, like watchdog groups and the National Council of Weights and Measures.
Tags: gasoline; petroleum; story ideas; oil; fuel; consumer reporting
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Some key aviation databases
The author discusses some sources that will be helpful for reporters covering aviation and airports. The resources he suggests include airline on-time performance data, which his on-time arrival and departure data for nonostop domestic flights. He also suggests using Form 41 data, which airlines are required to submit to the DOT with information about every route flown nationwide. Banstetter also recommends using the origin and destination survey. For every resource, Banstetter explains where to find the data and what sorts of stories are hidden in it.
Tags: transportation; airplanes; consumer stories; online resources; Department of Transportation; FAA
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Investigating Subprime Lending and Foreclosures: HMDA Data
Thompson describes how to use the federal Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) database in order to investigate subprime lending in your community. She explains what fields in the database will reveal subprime lending, and how to use an "update function" to count the subprime loans and apply a demographic element. The tipsheet ends with a list of helpful sources, such as the Consumer Federation of America and the State Licensing Board.
Tags: foreclosure; subprime lending; data analysis; Microsoft Access; queries
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Examining Long-Term Care with CAR
This tipsheet is a very comprehensive guide to reporting on nursing homes. It covers how to acquire and interpret everything from state inspection data to medical examiner data and worker safety data. Reporting on nursing homes is a great way to practice your CAR skills, and this tipsheet covers just about every story you can do on the topic.
Tags: nursing homes; retirement; nurses; patient abuse; bed sores; Medicare data; death certificates; consumer complaints
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Borrower Beware
This tipsheet is a print-off of a Milliron's power point presentation. It includes information bout the money-lending industry, with a special emphasis in Georgia. It is a good review of the AJC's investigation into the industry.