{
  "id": "2005-january-february-readmetxt-2",
  "slug": "2005-january-february-readmetxt-2",
  "url": "https://dwillis.github.io/uplink/article/2005-january-february-readmetxt-2.html",
  "year": 2005,
  "month": "January • February",
  "monthNum": 1,
  "headline": "readme.txt",
  "kicker": "",
  "author_name": "",
  "author_title": "",
  "affiliation": "IRE and NICAR",
  "summary": "IRE and NICAR provide resources and databases for journalists to analyze crime statistics and law enforcement data, including the Uniform Crime Report, campus crime data, and guidance on detecting issues like rape underreporting and racial disparities in policing.",
  "keywords": [
    "journalism",
    "crime",
    "data"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Crime & Justice",
    "Investigative Methods",
    "Data & Databases"
  ],
  "technologies": [],
  "full_text": "IRE and NICAR offer resources for journalists who want to use data to probe law enforcement and crime.\n\n\"Understanding Crime Statistics: A Reporter's Guide,\" by Kurt Silver is an IRE Beat Book that provides detailed guidance for analyzing crime report databases. The book covers use of the FBI's Uniform Crime Report data and the National Crime Victimization Survey. Order the book online at www.ire.org/store/books/crime.html or call 573-882-3364.\n\nJournalists can purchase Uniform Crime Report and U.S. campus crime data from the Database Library. UCR data includes data on index crimes – murder, non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny-theft, motor-vehicle theft and arson – by law enforcement agency, and detailed information about homicides. For more information see www.nicar.org/data/fbi. The Database Library has the data for 1980, 1990 and 1993-2002.\n\nThe campus crime data from the U.S. Department of Education contains information about alleged criminal incidents reported to campus or local law enforcement agencies. The data covers 2001-02 and includes data about arrests that result in campus disciplinary proceedings. For more information see www.ire.org/datalibrary/databases/campus.\n\nContact the Database Library at 573-884-7711 or 573-884-7332 to order the data.\n\nTipsheet No. 1196 by journalists from The Philadelphia Inquirer provides advice for using the Uniform Crime Report data to examine whether police are underreporting rapes.\n\nJohn Archibald of The Birmingham News lists resources for journalists who want to use crime and justice data for looking at law enforcement (Tipsheet No. 2056).\n\nKarisa King of the San Antonio Express-News provides guidance for examining traffic stop data to detect possible racial disparities. (Tipsheet No. 2094).\n\nOrder tipsheets by contacting the IRE Resource Center at 573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org.",
  "provenance": {
    "extracted_by": "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6",
    "extracted_at": "2026-07-05",
    "verified": true
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