{
  "id": "2005-septemberoctober-resources-for-covering-business",
  "slug": "2005-septemberoctober-resources-for-covering-business",
  "url": "https://dwillis.github.io/uplink/article/2005-septemberoctober-resources-for-covering-business.html",
  "year": 2005,
  "month": "September/October",
  "monthNum": 9,
  "headline": "Resources for covering business",
  "kicker": "",
  "author_name": "",
  "author_title": "",
  "affiliation": "IRE and NICAR",
  "summary": "IRE and NICAR provide computer-assisted reporting resources and databases for business journalists, including tools for investigating labor violations, SBA loans, and federal contracts with real-world examples of impactful investigations.",
  "keywords": [
    "databases",
    "reporting",
    "investigation"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Business & Economy",
    "Investigative Methods",
    "Data & Databases"
  ],
  "technologies": [
    "Internet",
    "World Wide Web"
  ],
  "full_text": "Resources for covering business\n\nIRE and NICAR offer resources for journalists interested in using computer-assisted reporting to cover business topics.\n\nJournalists can download the \"CAR Can Drive the Business Beat\" presentation developed by IRE from the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism at the American Press Institute Web site. (www.businessjournalism.org/content/6864.cfm). The presentation lists useful Web sites for the business beat, and shows how journalists can integrate simple data analysis into their coverage.\n\nLabor: Find out which local companies have bucked minimum wage, family leave and other federal labor laws with the Wage and Hour Enforcement database. It includes employee and employer information, number of violations and the amount of penalties. In 1998, USA Today did a computer-assisted analysis that showed working children are at risk and that the federal government does little to find or punish those employers who break child labor laws. (Story 15123)\n\nBusiness loans: Which local businesses have had loans guaranteed by the federal government? The SBA7a Business Loans database includes information about loans guaranteed by the U.S. Small Business Administration. It shows which businesses have repaid their loans and under which program the businesses received the loans. A computer-assisted investigation by The Kansas City Star revealed that the SBA gave most of its government-guaranteed loans to firms located in middle- and high-income areas. The paper discovered that minority-owned businesses received fewer than 15 percent of the SBA loans, despite efforts by the administration to target minority owners. (Story No. 16986)\n\nFederal contracts: The Federal Procurement Data System was created by the Government Services Agency. Contracts included in the 2004 data show services being performed or items being produced in all U.S. states, as well as U.S. territories and some foreign countries. The list of services or products being contracted includes telecommunications, maintenance, office furniture, food products, nursing home care contracts, consulting services, military equipment, computer equipment and software, janitorial services, removal and cleanup of hazardous materials, hotel/motel lodging, construction of troop housing, textile fabrics and fuel products. The Corpus Christi (Texas) Caller-Times did a series of computer-assisted stories in 2002 on the House Armed Services Committee third-ranking Democrat, Rep. Solomon Ortiz, and his influence on and personal gain from defense federal contracts in his district. (Story No. 19602)\n\nFor more details and a comprehensive list of what the Database Library has to offer for reporting on business go to www.ire.org/datalibrary/databases. To order databases, call 573-884-7711 or 573-884-7332.\n\nTo order story reprints contact 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
  },
  "similar": [
    {
      "slug": "1996-june-from-the-nicar-library",
      "score": 0.285
    },
    {
      "slug": "2006-september-october-federal-contracts",
      "score": 0.254
    },
    {
      "slug": "1996-september-from-the-nicar-library",
      "score": 0.246
    },
    {
      "slug": "1997-july-from-the-nicar-library",
      "score": 0.245
    },
    {
      "slug": "2005-septemberoctober-extra-extra-your-guide-to-the-latest-investigative-work",
      "score": 0.243
    }
  ],
  "html_url": "https://dwillis.github.io/uplink/article/2005-septemberoctober-resources-for-covering-business.html",
  "json_url": "https://dwillis.github.io/uplink/article/2005-septemberoctober-resources-for-covering-business.json"
}