readme.txt — Uplink Archive

Journalists can use data from multiple sources like the U.S. Census and specialized databases to investigate child welfare issues and quality of life disparities in their communities. Resources and tipsheets provide guidance on accessing adoption, foster care, and other child welfare data for reporting.

For more information using data to report on dangers and neglect to children see:

"Tracking quality of life," by Dave Davis of The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer in the September-October 2003 Uplink. Davis tells how journalists at the newspaper analyzed more than a million records from a number of sources, including the U.S. Census, and found that children in Cleveland were worse off than their counterparts in many comparable big cities.

Tipsheet No. 1822 by Jason Method of the Asbury Park (N.J.) Press lists resources for reporting on children's issues. The tipsheet contains details about using the Adoption and Foster Care Reporting System database.

To order the tipsheet contact the IRE Resource Center at 573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org.