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 "military contracts" ...
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On the Beat: The Military
McKie eases the fears of reporters new to covering the military. He talks about the bigger picture of covering the military - not only as a "fighting machine" but "a major employer, major spender, and an economic engine." He talks about dividing the beat into short- and long-term stories.
Tags: military; Canada; United States; war; casualties; armed forces; soldier; military contracts
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10 Story Ideas for Quick Turn Business Beat Investigations
Lorek gives a list of quick hit stories for the business beat with suggestions ranging from mining EPA violations to OSHA inspection reports,
Tags: EPA; military contracts; appraisal district; nonprofits; tax abatements; SEC filings; Attorneys General office; mortgage brokers; databases; complaints; OSHA;
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Iraq: Exposing Truths About the War
This tipsheet goes into great detail about how to find story ideas from the FedBizOpps website, which lists many federal contracts. The author explains how to find contracts for Iraq, and then where to look for details (like the dollar amount of the contract) that will turn into interesting stories. The author also lists several other useful websites for covering the Iraq war, as well as advice for embedded reporters.
Tags: Iraq; federal contracts; federal government; internet searching; sources; military
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Crunching Contracts: A Rough Guide for Dissecting Data from the Military Mines
This guide is meant to help reporters and researchers navigate their way through the reams of government contracting data made available online or through vendors such as the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting (NICAR). Fabey includes a lot of screen shots to illustrate his instructions.
Tags: defense; contracts; data anlysis; federal government; military; SQL
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Skytales: Military Dispatches
Tips on reporting on military and including sources of stories and dodges to be aware of.
Tags: military; contracts; defense deparment; intelligence; research
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Military Data: Contracts Casualties
This tipsheet is a good guide to investigating the military. Fabey discusses how to take advantage of the military's love of records and find the good investigative stories buried in the databases. He discusses which data analysis programs to use, as well as how to spot the discrepancies that could lead to a story. One very helpful think Fabey does is explain why some things, like sudden increases in the cost of ships, may seems indicative of a good story but are really quite routine for the military.
Tags: war reporting; military; federal government; contracts; federal spending; army
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Money and War
This tipsheet is about using CAR to analyze defense contracts. Porter offers several detailed story ideas, and suggests various sources of information to use in the investigation.
Tags: war; military spending; Department of Defense; Homeland Security; CAR; data analysis
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Coping with Contractors and Contracts
Michael Fabey begins his tipsheet with how to understand the military and how to work with it to get the information you need. He uses his experience to teach others how to avoid excuses and how especially to utilize the internet, while still finding the people behind the facts.
Tags: war; military; defense; homeland security
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Military Records and Useful Web Sites
This tipsheet lists many Web sites and sources of information for reporters covering defense and the military. Besides sources of general military information, this tipsheet includes tips on investigating major weapons programs, contractors, budgets and weapons performance.
Tags: military; weapons; defense; contracts; federal spending; weapons performance; defense programs; weapons programs; budget; House and Senate Armed Services committees; Directorate for Information Operations and Reports; Defense Contract Award Agency; DMCA; Commerce Department; Iraq; personnel; military rank; Pentagon; Army; Navy; Air Force
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Tipsheet No: 1930
This tipsheet explains the importance and usefulness of having the Federal Contracts database around when news breaks. It explains how to acquire the database and the many uses it has in the newsroom.
Tags: Military; federal contracts; database; ICARS; Government Services Agency's Individual Contract Action Reports