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 "natural" ...
-
Data Before and After a Disaster
Heath lists and describes different federal programs that provide financial assistance after a natural disaster. He discusses where to get records of each program's spending, and how to best incorporate that information into a CAR story. Heath also describes the programs used by federal agencies to run simulations and assess potential damage; most of those programs are available for free and could be useful for reporters covering a recent disaster.
Tags: natural disaster; FEMA; forest service; demographics; geophysical data; SBA loans; flood insurance; housing assistance
-
Tracking a Wildfire
The authors discuss how to quickly build maps that will enhance coverage of wild fires. They discuss where to find shapefiles of the affected areas and how to acquire incident command structure reports which include valuable information about how fires were started and fought. The authors then describe how to use those two pieces of data (shapefiles and ICS reports) to create a time line of the fire. The tipsheet ends with a list of other resources that might be useful for reporters covering fires.
Tags: fire; GIS; mapping; shapefiles; Google maps; Forest Service
-
Staffing and Recruiting Police For the 21st Century
This PowerPoint by Decker explores the nature of current police recruiting and the types of people who are ending up on police forces. Decker focuses on the challenges facing law enforcement today when it comes to staffing.
Tags: law enforcement; recruitment; military; police; criminal justice track
-
Investigating the Aftermath of Disasters
Kestin explains how she and other reporters at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel discovered and revealed $530 million in fraud and waste in FEMA disaster aid nationwide. She provides an overview of FEMA and tells reporters covering disaster stories what things they should be looking for. Kestin also provides a list of sources for these types of stories.
Tags: natural disasters; FEMA; Hurricane Katrina; fraud; federal agencies
-
Resources for Covering Disasters
Nixon lists resources and databases that are helpful when covering natural disasters. The list includes four NICAR databases, such as Federal Contracts, and nine other resources, like the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.
Tags: TRAC; computer-assisted reporting; SBA; natural disasters; emergency reporting; CERCLIS
-
The Day After: Resources for Covering the Aftermath of Natural Disasters
This tipsheet is comprised of slides from Nixon's power point presentation on covering natural disasters. The slides cover information about SBA disaster loans, federal contracts and other data. Nixon included examples of recent stories that used each type of data.
Tags: environment; federal government; state government; response time; federal loans; disaster assistance loans; purchases cards
-
Wildfires
The author discusses how to prepare for covering wildfires. She lists websites to visit before fire season starts, in order to know what resources are available for covering the disasters in your area. Some of the websites include the National Interagency Fire Center, and the Wildland Fire Assessment Program.
Tags: fire; disaster; fire fighters; stage government; local government; environment
-
CAR after the disaster: FEMA, SBA and other data
This tipsheet is a good guide to investigating the government aid that generally follows large natural disasters. Specifically, Maines discusses his own experience investigating FEMA after Hurricane Katrina. He recommends various websites as a good starting point, and then offers advice for more detailed investigations. For example, Maines suggests comparing the FEMA database of funeral-related expenses to the number of deaths listed by the local medical examiner.
Tags: government aid; federal government; relief efforts; humanitarian aid; FEMA; computer assisted reporting; hurricanes
-
CAR for covering natural disasters
Maines offers many suggestions for incorporating CAR into fast-paced disaster investigations. For instance, he suggests using mapping to show the extent of damage in certain areas or neighborhoods. Maines also discusses some of the surprises that reporters for the Sun Sentinel faced after Hurricane Wilma, and how in the future journalists can anticipate similar surprises and work around them.
Tags: hurricane; natural disaster; mapping; GPS; computer-assisted reporting; demographics; FOIA
-
Science Reporting: Getting under the skin of government and international organizations handling scientific and technical issues
"Getting under the skin of government and international organizations handling scientific and technical issues can e difficult, in particular in the face of spin supposedly supported by science. The [author] will give examples and tips to penetrate organizations, identify conflicting interests, locate expert committees, and analyze the reliability and interpretation of their advice."
Tags: science; media spin; investigative reporting; sources; scientific community