If you fill out the "Forgot Password" form but don't get an email to reset your password within 5-10 minutes, please email logistics@ire.org for assistance.
Investigative reporters spend months on story basics, building data and documents. But without the right sources, even the most telling facts can read a bit, well, boring.
With that in mind, four battle-tested investigative reporters spoke at the 2014 IRE Conference on the topic of building trust with sources. Ellen Gabler, of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; Tony Kovaleski, of NBC Bay Area; and Andres Cediel, who produced the recent documentary “Rape in the Fields,” used their own experiences to discuss strategies for getting people to talk.
Kovaleski stressed the importance of building a relationship by meeting as many times as it takes to get the source on the record.
In many cases, the source-reporter relationship is just beginning when a source agrees to participate in a story. Gabler, who discussed her recent work on a project to expose flaws in newborn screening, earned the confidence of her sources by staying diligent in her reporting.
Cediel and his team knew it would be difficult to find outspoken sources for “Rape in the Fields.” They sought sexually abused, Spanish-speaking women who typically were in the country illegally. Cediel’s extreme but vitally important example reminds us to consider how our stories will affect the people within them.
Think oil and gas stories are just for reporters in a few key states? Think again. There are more than 1.1 million active oil and gas wells in 36 states. On this podcast we’ll explore the dark side of the oil and gas boom with journalists who have investigated elements of the industry. Here’s the lineup:
You can find and download previous podcast episodes on iTunes or our Soundcloud page.
Looking for links to the stories, resources and events we discussed on this week's podcast? We've collected them for you.
New to data reporting? Anthony Cormier, Sarasota Herald-Tribune; Jaeah Lee, Mother Jones; Rob O’Dell, The Arizona Republic; and Shawn McIntosh, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution walked journalists through their tips at the 2014 IRE Conference.
Make it your job to develop good reporting habits. Keep track of data in relation to your reporting, like bankruptcy filings for business reporters or communication logs from cop cars if you cover crime. Cormier explains:
Instead of only being familiar with open-records laws, also check out the rules that regulate what you’re reporting on, Cormier said. With banks, that could be financial regulation laws. When requesting data, talk to IT people; they tend to be more knowledgeable about the types of formats you need.
When budgeting your time, O’Dell suggests overestimating the time it will take to finish your project by at least 30 percent. Then stick to the plan.
It’s also beneficial to run an initial analysis on your data to make sure it’s going to tell the story you expect. And when the story’s finally ready to go, keep blowback to a minimum by giving a conservative estimate of your data.
McIntosh recommends showing progress to your editors on a regular basis. However, be careful not to share outliers until they’ve been verified. It’s also important for reporters and editors to keep a timeline. Some news organizations will have advertisements and promotions scheduled around your plans.
This week we bring you an education-themed podcast in two acts. First we’ll talk about campus coverage, specifically investigations into Title IX and sexual assault. In Act II we’ll turn to K-12 education with a piece on school segregation. Here’s the lineup:
You can find and download previous podcast episodes on iTunes or our Soundcloud page.
Looking for links to the stories, resources and events we discussed on this week's podcast? We've collected them for you.
When a story breaks, speed is key. But so are depth, context and accuracy. So how do you cover the news while simultaneously digging deeper? This week we’re talking about investigating breaking news. Our speakers will cover everything from identifying sources on the scene to developing a plan for watchdog coverage. Here’s the lineup:
You can find and download previous podcast episodes on iTunes or our Soundcloud page.
Looking for links to the stories, resources and events we discussed on this week's podcast? We've collected them for you.
Sexual assault cases are never easy to cover, and when a university is involved, the challenges become even greater. Victims are sometimes reluctant to talk. Administrators often refuse to do interviews, citing FERPA. But that doesn’t mean these cases are impossible to cover.
At the IRE Conference in San Francisco this summer Walt Bogdanich of The New York Times offered some tips for reporting around FERPA. The first step, he said, is to focus on the system, not the individual. A reporter’s goal shouldn’t be to prove that someone did something wrong. Journalists are better off investigating the policies and groups set up to handle these cases.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a federal law that protects student education records, is a major roadblock for reporters covering college campuses. But there are exceptions to the law that can help journalists, especially those covering violent or sexual crimes involving students. Samantha Sunne, a former University of Missouri student, explains:
So how do you go about investigating a sexual assault case? Bogdanich walked IRE Conference attendees through his reporting on Florida State University quarterback Jameis Winston, who was accused of raping a female student. Bogdanich found that the police and the university failed to conduct a proper investigation.
A good reporter-editor relationship can make or break your investigative project. This week is all about building chemistry in the newsroom. Here’s the lineup:
You can find and download previous podcast episodes on iTunes or our Soundcloud page.
Looking for links to the stories, resources and events we discussed on this week's podcast? We've collected them for you.
Welcome to another episode of the IRE Radio Podcast. We’re excited to announce that this podcast is now available on iTunes. Subscribe to have the latest episode automatically download to your phone, computer or tablet.
This week we’re talking about investigating veterans issues, past and present. Here’s the lineup:
You can find and download previous podcast episodes on iTunes or our Soundcloud page.
Looking for links to the stories, resources and events we discussed on this week's podcast? We've collected them for you.
Welcome to another episode of the IRE Radio Podcast. On this week’s episode we’re talking about crime – everything from fact-checking police stats to building databases to track gun violence.
Here’s the lineup:
You can find and download previous podcast episodes on our Soundcloud page.
Looking for links to the stories, resources and events we discussed on this week's podcast? We've collected them for you.
Welcome to the third episode of the IRE Radio Podcast. We’re taking a cue from reporter Corey Johnson and calling this episode “True Believers.” This week we’ll be talking about how to find crucial sources and, more importantly, how to get them to talk.
Here’s the lineup:
You can find and download previous podcast episodes on our Soundcloud page.
EPISODE NOTES
Looking for links to the stories, resources and events we discussed on this week's podcast? We've collected them for you.
Looks like you haven't made a choice yet.
