By Doug Haddix, IRE training director

Reporters should make one to three calls a day to sources whom they don’t need for a deadline story. That’s the most effective way to develop sources who’ll come through for you later with ideas and help, according to Ryan Gabrielson of California Watch. Gabrielson spoke during an IRE Better Watchdog Workshop last weekend at San Francisco State University. He covers public safety issues at California Watch, a project of the nonprofit Center for Investigative Reporting. While working at the East Valley Tribune in Mesa, Ariz., he and reporting partner Paul ...

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New York Times reporter David Gonzalez shares his secrets to great neighborhood beat reporting. For better stories and better sourcing, your time is best spent walking the streets of your coverage area.

With a little legislative know-how, even a novice reporter can distinguish between complex political positions between lobbyists, interests groups and politicians, according to veteran reporter Brian Joseph from the Orange County Register. It's all about knowing where your state government records such routine information.

Andy Hall, executive director and reporter for the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, shares his thoughts on the art of the interview. He points out that a purposive or changing setting can elicit key details on your interview subject. Hall was a panelist at a recent Better Watchdog Workshop in Madison, Wis.

By Doug Haddix

IRE training director

There’s nothing wrong – and everything right – with rehearsing interviews, especially those that must be done by phone, according to Manny Garcia, executive editor of El Nuevo Herald in Miami, Fla.

Sometimes, a reporter has only a minute or two to make a pitch by phone, given obstacles such as call-waiting and voice mail.

Garcia’s advice came during an IRE Ethnic Media Watchdog Workshop at Boston University on Sept. 12.

At the end of every interview, he said, ask the source if you forgot to ...

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Click here to listen to audio. Newsday reporters Eden Laikin and Sandra Peddie used databases and public records to track pension fraud in public schools. At a recent Better Watchdog Workshop in Los Angeles, the reporters discussed how similar investigations can be done in any community. The workshop was held at the Annenberg School for Communication in conjunction with the presentation of the Selden Ring Award. Laikin and Peddie's investigation was this year's award winner. — Jaimi Dowdell, IRE training director

More than 70 people gathered in the desert  – presenters, students, border journalists of all ages and experiences — at the University of Texas El Paso for IRE’s first bilingual version of our Watchdog Workshop. The event included hands-on CAR training and lectures on topics including immigration, storytelling and organized crime by mostly bilingual presenters and IRE members who came in from Texas,Florida, New Mexico and Mexico. On Friday, IRE, with sponsorship support from Hearst newspapers, offered a dinner to 50 border editors and reporters in honor of Armando Rodriguez, the El Diario reporter killed last year. At the event ... Read more ...

If you're new to plumbing spreadsheets and databases, it's likely that you might exhibit some anxiety about your new found skills. But take it from a seasoned professional, Maurice Tamman of The Wall Street Journal, don't hesitate to share your data and check your work. Even if it means phoning up a competitor to see if you are drawing fair conclusions about a particular dataset, it's better to get feedback than to publish a story on a poor assumption. Listing to Tamman give his advice to journalists just starting out in the realm of computer-assisted reporting ... Read more ...

When conducting an interview — or attempting to extract information from public officials who are less than forthright — it's essential to be fair and upfront about your needs. While Tisha Thompson, a reporter for WTTG in Washington D.C., doesn't hesitate to sit herself on public officials' door steps at 6 a.m. to get the story, she tries very hard to make sure it doesn't come to that. Listen to Thompson share more of her tips on the art of the interview and dealing with a tight-lipped source. Related posts: Handling anonymous tipsters.

At the New Haven, Conn., Better Watchdog Workshop, Maurice Tamman of The Wall Street Journal shared his thoughts on why skills in computer-assisted reporting can help strengthen and legitimize a story. At the IRE workshop, which provides journalists with instruction on the tools needed to be better watchdog journalists, Tamman provided participants with an introduction to computer-assisted reporting and explained how using electronic files and databases provides readers with a fuller account of an issue without relying solely on anecdotal evidence.