Computer-Assisted Reporting Newsletter, 1990–2007
Journalists pursued freedom of information requests across EU member states to expose farm subsidy recipients, ultimately leading to the creation of Farmsubsidy.org in 2005 and an …
A journalist details their five-month investigation into U.S. farm subsidy data, revealing that wealthy individuals, corporations, and institutions far removed from farming—includi…
An Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter describes how she used SQL Server to analyze 180 million records of U.S. farm subsidy data spanning over a decade to investigate cotton sub…
The IRE and NICAR Database Library has updated its Campus Crime database, allowing public access to crime statistics reported by colleges and universities from 2001-2005, including…
IRE and NICAR offer comprehensive databases and resources for journalists covering energy, utilities, and power infrastructure, including the National Inventory of Dams, federal fu…
Lee Davidson describes a quick investigation into gas pump accuracy in Utah using state inspection databases.
Jeff Porter highlights the wealth of data available on the OPEC website, including downloadable tables on oil production, imports, and global pricing.
An investigation reveals that New York Power Authority executives received higher salaries than the governor and used public funds for personal charities and political perks.
NICAR has updated three databases tracking commercial truck accidents, inspections, and company safety information, providing journalists with detailed data on crashes, violation h…
Despite significant growth in Indian gaming revenues, federal funding to tribes has increased rather than decreased, suggesting that gaming revenue and federal assistance are not i…
A journalist uses computer-assisted reporting techniques to investigate a city payroll scandal, uncovering that bonus payments were far more widespread than officials claimed, with…
A journalist describes how analyzing utility data from LIPA revealed that new power plants weren't necessary, and discusses how deregulation of the electricity industry created com…
Thomas Peele used congressional spending reports and financial disclosures to reveal how a top aide exploited travel expenses and exceeded income limits.
Duff Wilson provides a guide to essential online tools and public records for backgrounding individuals for investigative profiles.
The IRE and NICAR Database Library has updated its U.S. Recreational Boating Accident Database through 2005, containing information on boating incidents resulting in deaths or sign…
Paul Overberg analyzes the challenges and evolution of the American Community Survey's national data release.
Ronald Campbell investigates how solicitors use sound-alike charity names to collect millions of dollars from unsuspecting donors.
The Hartford Courant investigated systemic failures in the military's mental health screening process by analyzing data from pre-deployment health questionnaires.
Reporter Mike Fabey used federal contract databases and technical research to investigate budget overruns and mismanagement in the Pentagon's classified satellite programs.
The IRE and NICAR Database Library has completed its federal contracts database for fiscal year 2005 with over 1 million records, providing journalists access to detailed informati…
The projects editor at the Poughkeepsie Journal recounts his first venture into computer-assisted reporting using U.S. Coast Guard boat accident data to find local trends.
IRE and NICAR provide "In the News" resources to help journalists cover breaking news events by offering databases, articles, and tipsheets on relevant topics like aviation safety,…
An investigation by WSMV-Nashville analyzed five years of Tennessee truck accident reports to determine the prevalence of driver fatigue in fatal and injury crashes.
This investigation explores how U.S. military veterans receive inconsistent benefits and treatment depending on their geographic location despite uniform federal regulations.
The St. Paul Pioneer Press used multiple regression analysis to identify schools in low-income areas that were outperforming their predicted standardized test scores.
This article reviews software tools like XPDF, Foxit, and PDF2XL that allow journalists to extract structured data from PDF files for analysis in spreadsheets and databases.
A reporter from The Kansas City Star describes how to use federal OSHA inspection data to investigate workplace safety, identify high-violation industries, and track workplace fata…
Over 800 journalism professionals attended IRE's 30th annual conference in Fort Worth featuring 130+ panels on reporting and data analysis, including specialized computer-assisted …
A USA Today investigation using a custom database discovered that lax industry safeguards and poor visibility lead to a high rate of fatal air ambulance helicopter crashes.
The Oregonian investigated the Javits-Wagner-O'Day program, uncovering that charities were redefining disability and overpaying executives while mismanaging federal contracts.
A Kansas journalist investigated the true cost of implementing school finance reforms by analyzing state enrollment data and formulas using Excel and programming, challenging confl…
TRI data was used to investigate mercury pollution from chlor-alkali plants, revealing significant environmental concerns.
A journalist learned data analysis techniques to accurately count crowd attendance at the La Fiesta de los Vaqueros Rodeo Parade in Tucson, finding the actual attendance was roughl…
A database library analysis of the Fatality Analysis Reporting System examined fatal vehicle accidents in New York and New Jersey for WCBS-New York, revealing that most accidents o…
The IRE and NICAR Database Library has updated its Storm Events database through December 2005, containing over 600,000 records of U.S. storms including Hurricane Katrina with deta…
Investigation into Maryland ERs revealed significant delays and highlighted a crisis in emergency healthcare.
The Census Bureau's American Community Survey faced funding challenges but is likely to replace the long form of the 2010 Census.
OpenInfo is a free, open-source intranet solution that enables newsrooms to conduct simultaneous full-text searches across multiple databases without expensive tools or extensive c…
Computer-assisted reporting on elections has become more complex due to campaign finance law changes, requiring journalists to track data from multiple sources including 527 commit…
A journalist describes how computer-assisted reporting training helped uncover a drug trend in a Kentucky town by analyzing police data, emphasizing that successful data journalism…
The Database Library has updated the U.S. Department of Transportation truck inspection dataset through 2004, allowing journalists to investigate truck safety violations by company…
Introduction of OpenInfo, a tool for intranet-based full-text search across newsroom databases, offering a cost-effective and efficient solution for data access.
An analysis of campus crime statistics highlights the University of Massachusetts as having the highest rate of violent crime, prompting discussions on safety measures.
Journalists utilized computer-assisted reporting techniques to investigate mine safety in the wake of the Sago Mine disaster, leveraging data from the U.S. Mine Safety and Health A…
A Florida newspaper used Google Maps APIs to create an interactive property tax database displaying 400,000 parcels across five counties, combining parcel coordinates with tax roll…
Columbus Dispatch reporters used GIS mapping software to visualize 12,000 foreclosed properties across Franklin County, revealing that the foreclosure crisis extended far beyond po…
The IRE and NICAR Database Library has updated its Small Business Administration Disaster Loan database, now current through September 2005 and containing over 867,000 records dati…
A series of investigations into the methamphetamine crisis and other issues received the first Philip Meyer Awards, highlighting significant contributions of social science methods…
Three major journalism investigations were recognized with the inaugural Philip Meyer Awards for their use of social science methods, including exposés on methamphetamine regulatio…
The IRE and NICAR Data Library assisted multiple broadcast news stations in analyzing various datasets, including crime rates on college campuses, felon hunting licenses, poverty r…
A statistical analysis of jury selection in Dallas County reveals continued racial bias in juror exclusions, highlighting slow progress since a 1986 exposé.
The article investigates the distribution of post-9/11 disaster loans, revealing that many funds were allocated away from directly impacted areas, raising questions about financial…
WNYC's analysis of enrollment data found that special education students in New York City are disproportionately concentrated in the city's worst-performing high schools.
The Charlotte Observer used a detailed suspension database to uncover significant racial disparities and a high frequency of repeat suspensions in local schools.
David Herzog provides a roadmap for journalists to use computer-assisted reporting to investigate the long-term impacts of Hurricane Katrina on local communities.
IRE provides journalists with resources for hurricane coverage including stories, tipsheets, databases, and links to useful reporting tools available on their website and through t…
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel's year-long investigation into FEMA revealed systemic waste, fraud, and a lack of accountability in disaster relief payments.
Journalism veterans suggest maintaining a library of essential databases like Census data and property tax rolls to prepare for reporting on disaster aftermaths.
The Charlotte Observer's analysis of Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data revealed that black borrowers receive high-interest loans at four times the rate of white borrowers, promptin…
This article explains XML (Extensible Markup Language) and its practical challenges for database users, particularly in government agencies, demonstrating how XML's flexible struct…
IRE and NICAR provide computer-assisted reporting resources and databases for business journalists, including tools for investigating labor violations, SBA loans, and federal contr…
The St. Petersburg Times describes how it compiles an annual report ranking the 10 largest public companies in the Tampa Bay area by gathering financial data from SEC filings and c…
The article provides examples of computer-assisted reporting investigations on business topics, demonstrating how journalists use data analysis to uncover stories about lending dis…
The Salt Lake Tribune conducted a computer-assisted investigation into Utah's high personal bankruptcy rate by analyzing a random sample of 1,053 cases filed in 2003-2004, collecti…
A Buffalo News investigation used Freedom of Information requests and geographic information system mapping to analyze 366,500 parking tickets issued over 22 months, revealing patt…
A veteran journalist returning to local reporting discovers how computer-assisted reporting (CAR) dramatically streamlines investigative work, using a dam safety story updated from…
IRE and NICAR's Database Library has updated its Toxics Release Inventory data from the EPA through 2003, containing information on chemical releases and waste management from indu…
The Missouri School of Journalism introduces its new graduate research assistants for the Database Library who serve as contributing editors to Uplink, including returning students…
Georgia's transformation into a creditor-friendly state has left many borrowers struggling under high debts and fees, with a focus on fast foreclosure processes and small loan comp…
Ted Mellnik created the Philip Meyer Journalism Award to recognize journalists who use social science research methods and computer-assisted reporting, work that often goes unrecog…
TextPipe Pro is a user-friendly text manipulation tool that helps journalists clean and process dirty data without requiring programming knowledge, offering 100 filters and powerfu…
Journalists investigating EPA enforcement of air pollution laws at oil refineries obtained enforcement data from the EPA's IDEA database system after struggling with initial record…
The article highlights computer-assisted reporting examples from IRE's Extra! Extra! resource, including investigations by the Salt Lake Tribune on excessive residential water cons…
After investigating a drowning where a nanny's three 911 calls went unanswered, journalists discovered a systemic failure in Broward County's 911 emergency response system by obtai…
A journalist uses data analysis to investigate poorly maintained bridges in Ventura County, California after mudslides kill ten people, discovering that 99 of 485 county bridges ar…
IRE and NICAR have updated their OSHA workplace safety inspection database with records through February 2005, containing over 3 million records since 1972 that journalists can use…
An examination of boating accidents on the Colorado River highlights an increase in alcohol-related incidents and hit-and-run accidents, with a focus on the tragic death of local t…
An investigation into unusually high test scores at Wilmer Elementary in Texas reveals possible cheating by educators. The analysis shows that scores improved significantly compare…
A journalist analyzed Pentagon casualty data to reveal that South Carolina and other small, rural states had disproportionately high Iraq War death rates compared to their populati…
IRE and NICAR offer databases and resources to help journalists investigate federal spending on homeland security and military programs, including tipsheets, story reprints, and ac…
The article provides guidance on using federal databases to track Department of Homeland Security spending across states and communities, including contracts, grants, and assistanc…
Analysis of Homeland Security grants in Iowa reveals questionable allocation patterns, spotlighting discrepancies in rural versus urban funding.
A journalism newsletter highlights how reporters have used data analysis to investigate Iraq War-related stories, including military spending, casualties, and homeland security, wh…
The FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System tracks safety issues with pharmaceuticals and biological products to guide regulatory actions and inform public health reporting. Journalis…
Richard O'Reilly, a veteran computer-assisted reporting expert from the Los Angeles Times, has joined IRE and NICAR as a consultant to assist with special database projects and ana…
Military aviation accident data reveals insights into safety issues, stressing the importance of data analysis in investigative reporting.
Social network analysis tools reveal links of the Islamic American Relief Agency to terror activities, highlighting investigative techniques using data.
Journalists face dilemmas on whether to share data with others, balancing transparency against organizational interests.
IRE and NICAR provide resources and databases for journalists investigating crime statistics and law enforcement, including crime report analysis guides, FBI Uniform Crime Report d…
IRE and NICAR provide journalists with resources including databases, guidebooks, and tipsheets to analyze crime statistics and law enforcement data, such as FBI Uniform Crime Repo…
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 guida…
IRE and NICAR provide journalists with resources and databases for analyzing crime statistics and law enforcement data, including the Uniform Crime Report, campus crime data, and g…
This technical tip explains how to choose and configure numeric field types in Microsoft Access to ensure data like decimals and percentages are stored accurately.
This guide explains how to administer a MySQL database for newsroom use and how to connect it to Microsoft Access to provide a familiar interface for reporters.
The Nashville Tennessean found that two-thirds of police chases violated department safety policies by analyzing paper records that contradicted the department's electronic databas…
A yearlong Post-Dispatch investigation used crime data and budgets to expose systemic incompetence, lack of training, and equipment shortages across St. Louis area police departmen…
Following an IRE and NICAR Boot Camp, reporter Ron Regan used the National Inventory of Dams database to expose hundreds of unsafe and uninspected high-hazard dams in Ohio.
The Los Angeles Times used GIS mapping and database analysis to visualize the dense patterns of unsolved homicides in South Los Angeles, leading to a reallocation of police resourc…
The 2005 Annual CAR Conference in Hollywood offers extensive training in database analysis, mapping, and investigative techniques for journalists of all skill levels.
Journalists can access resources for social network analysis to visualize complex connections between people and organizations in investigative reporting.
The SBA Disaster Loan database provides a resource for journalists to track government assistance provided to businesses and individuals following natural disasters.
A database matching investigation revealed that nearly 1,000 felons in Missouri held hunting licenses despite federal laws against felon firearm ownership.
The Dallas Morning News investigated how a farm tax loophole intended for family farmers is being exploited by large corporations and land developers to save millions in taxes.
This article discusses how journalists can use campaign finance and voter registration data to investigate political influence and structural changes following the 2004 election.
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 communiti…
The IRE and NICAR Database Library automated routine tasks like updating Federal Election Commission and FAA data, and developed a system to automate state-sliced data extraction f…
The IRE Resource Center provides copies of journalism stories that used computer-assisted reporting to investigate transportation safety issues, including studies on truck driver f…
The IRE and NICAR Database Library provides access to updated U.S. Department of Transportation databases that journalists can use to investigate safety issues in the trucking indu…
A Pittsburgh journalist investigates the city's record homicide rate in 2003, discovering that murders are concentrated in specific neighborhoods and disproportionately involve you…
A journalist describes their first computer-assisted reporting project analyzing 1.6 million municipal court records from Bexar County, Texas, focusing on data import procedures, d…
IRE and NICAR have launched the Scraping Project to help journalists efficiently extract data from online public databases by sharing and collaborating on web scraping scripts that…
An examination of rail-crossing safety following a fatal train accident, using data to reveal maintenance lapses.
A look into issues faced by marine mammals in captivity at U.S. marine parks, revealing deaths and inadequate care.
An investigation into oil and gas leasing on federal lands, highlighting the major players and examining if industry rules are followed.
Ron Campbell used FEC data and GIS mapping to visualize the geographic differences in donor support between George W. Bush and John Kerry in the 2004 election.
Aron Pilhofer explores the advantages of using MySQL for data analysis, highlighting specific features like regular expressions, GROUP_CONCAT, and ROLLUP.
Kit Wagar analyzed 20,000 lobbyist gift records to expose how Missouri legislators received millions in gifts, highlighting a trend of using caucuses to hide spending.
Cuyahoga County's 53 independent fire departments operating 103 stations cost taxpayers over $300 million annually with significant overlap in service areas, prompting calls for co…
Reporter Judd Slivka details the difficulties of normalizing crime data from five different federal agencies to investigate public safety in Western parks.
IRE and NICAR's Hazardous Materials Incident Reporting System (HMIRS) database provides journalists with detailed incident reports on hazardous material releases across all transpo…
IRE and NICAR are launching the Scraping Project to help journalists use programming scripts to extract and format data from public government websites.
Journalists investigating environmental issues can now access a cleaned and enhanced EPA hazardous waste database through the IRE and NICAR Database Library, which includes additio…
Reporters discovered a fatal flaw in Florida's felon voter purge list where Hispanics were systematically excluded due to inconsistent race categorization. The analysis led to the …
Three award-winning investigative journalism projects are highlighted, including investigations into lead contamination in Detroit, oyster farm compensation in Louisiana, and gover…
Xpdf is a free command-line utility that allows journalists to efficiently extract text and tables from PDF files, converting them to formats like Excel in seconds rather than hour…
Computer-assisted reporting is being used by journalists to uncover electoral irregularities, including analysis of Florida's voter roll purging that disproportionately affects cer…
An investigative journalism project by the Orlando Sentinel and WESH-Orlando uncovered widespread construction quality problems in central Florida's new homes, leading a reporter t…
A St. Petersburg Times analysis using geographic information systems reveals that housing prices in the Tampa Bay area are skyrocketing, transforming the region from having cheap h…
A Charlotte Observer investigation reveals that airline maintenance problems have become a significant factor in fatal crashes, contributing to 42 percent of fatal accidents since …
Data analysis reveals a significant number of older individuals entering teaching in Oregon, challenging common assumptions about new teacher demographics.
The IRE and NICAR Database Library has released expanded mortality data from 1988-2001 and OSHA inspection records from 1972-2004 to help journalists investigate public health and …
An Indianapolis Star investigation found that over 9,300 taxpayers illegally claimed multiple homestead property tax credits on properties they didn't live in, costing Marion Count…
This article highlights several investigative journalism projects that analyzed U.S. Department of Transportation fatality data to examine traffic safety issues across different re…
A KIRO-Seattle investigation using GIS analysis and geocoding discovered that over 600 sex offenders in Washington state live within 100 yards of licensed day-care centers, violati…
Georgia's HOPE scholarship program, funded by lottery revenues, has distributed $2.1 billion to 700,000 students but faces financial sustainability challenges and criticism for dis…
IRE's annual investigative reporting contest received 595 entries, with many using computer-assisted reporting techniques like databases and tracking software. The article highligh…
A Cedar Rapids Gazette investigation into fatal accidents on Interstate 80 revealed that nearly half of 133 fatal accidents from 1994-2001 involved semi-trailer trucks, leading to …
The IRE and NICAR Database Library now offers Clery Act Campus Crime data from 2001-2002 containing 19 tables of crime information reported by campus police, which journalists can …
State campaign finance reporting varies dramatically across the country, with some states offering easily accessible electronic databases while others provide only paper filings or…
Tracking campaign finance has become increasingly complex due to legal changes and the rise of political nonprofit organizations that operate outside traditional disclosure require…
KIRO-Seattle investigated sex offenders living near day-care centers in Washington using mapping analysis to identify registered offenders within one city block of licensed facilit…
The IRE and NICAR Database Library updated their Single Audit database covering federal awards exceeding $300,000 annually from 1997 to January 2004, providing journalists with det…
Journalists are preparing to use computer-assisted reporting (CAR) techniques like spreadsheets, database analysis, and mapping to provide deeper coverage of the 2004 election beyo…
An investigation uncovers the increasing rate of violent attacks, including rapes, against Peace Corps volunteers, predominantly young women serving overseas.
Curl is a free command-line utility that helps journalists efficiently download large datasets from websites by automating batch downloads of pages with consistent URL patterns, el…
askSam is a flexible archiving and database program that allows journalists and investigators to organize and search large amounts of structured and unstructured data without forci…
A journalist describes the process of investigating emergency response times in their community by obtaining and analyzing three years of 911 dispatch data, overcoming HIPAA privac…
The Arizona Daily Star investigated ambulance response times in Tucson using geographic information system software and public records data, revealing that emergency services frequ…
Chicago Sun-Times reporters investigated how Chicago Public Schools teachers and principals could legally collect up to 315 days of unused sick pay in their final year, with one pr…
IRE and NICAR's Database Library partnered with WCNC Charlotte to analyze Medicaid data, uncovering that pediatric dentists were performing unnecessary root canals on babies at dis…
CommonWealth magazine created 'Beyond Red & Blue,' an interactive report that maps 10 distinct political regions across the United States by analyzing county-level election data an…
This article guides journalists on using computer-assisted reporting (CAR) to cover 2024 elections, highlighting campaign finance data analysis as a key resource. It promotes IRE's…
Journalists can access the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's Injury and Death database through IRE and NICAR to investigate injuries caused by consumer products like space …
Journalists can access updated CPSC injury databases and explore new investigative techniques like social network analysis, with examples including consumer product safety investig…
A series exposed Florida doctors prescribing large quantities of narcotics to low-income Medicaid users, leading to high financial costs and overdose deaths.
A data investigation revealed that at least 10% of children listed as missing in a circulation area were not missing at all due to police oversight. This led to uncovering flaws in…
A detailed guide to understanding PUMS (Public Use Microdata Sample) data is available through IRE's Resource Center, with free access for members and paid options for others.
Ron Shawgo explains how to use Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) data and the IPUMS website to analyze population migration and education trends.
A bibliography of past Uplink articles detailing how journalists used Census data to report on race, poverty, and geography.
Paul Overberg explains the power of Census Summary File 4 for profiling 336 distinct racial and ethnic groups, highlighting reporting examples and methodological constraints like s…
IRE and NICAR have released an updated Home Mortgage Disclosure Act database for 2002, along with a guide by Jo Craven McGinty to help journalists analyze lending data and identify…
A Cleveland television station analyzed public school teacher sick day records and discovered an unusual pattern of absences on Valentine's Day, revealing potential abuse of sick l…
A collection of brief reports covering editor training boot camps, patterns of teacher sick leave abuse, and updates to the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act database.
Reporters from the Chicago Tribune discuss their strategy of using U.S. Census Bureau data to investigate human-interest stories regarding the middle class.
This article provides a guide for journalists seeking free GIS data, highlighting government portals like geodata.gov.
A free SAS System Viewer tool available from SAS's website allows journalists to read and convert SAS data files into formats compatible with spreadsheets and database managers. Th…
IRE offers multiple tipsheets to help journalists use databases for investigating local, state, and federal campaign finance, including guidance on accessing data from reluctant of…
The Detroit News used Excel spreadsheets to compare PAC-reported contributions with candidate-reported receipts, uncovering that Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick failed to report $16…
A St. Paul reporter used geographic information system software to analyze snow-emergency towing data and discovered whether certain neighborhoods were towed more heavily than othe…
The IRE and NICAR Database Library launched an online subscription service in spring 2003 that provides journalists with cleaned, updated government databases in real-time, elimina…
A Duluth journalist uses computer-assisted reporting techniques to analyze arrest data and determine where Superior, Wisconsin's crime problems originate, examining whether extendi…
The IRE and NICAR Database Library has updated its FDA and NASA safety reporting databases with recent data, providing journalists with resources to investigate pharmaceutical and …
Searchable databases have become essential tools in modern newsrooms, allowing journalists to quickly access public records and connect information across multiple sources to enhan…
A local government reporter describes how learning Microsoft Excel enabled them to analyze public data sets like budgets and payroll records, leading to stories that provided origi…
Computer-assisted reporting in newsrooms is evolving beyond basic spreadsheets to require server-based data management solutions, with Red Hat Linux 9.0 offering a cost-effective a…
ParseRat is a $50 software tool that efficiently parses and cleans large datasets, particularly names, by breaking them into manageable fields and converting various data formats f…
The Los Angeles Times used the Naval Aviation Safety Database to investigate U.S. Marine Corps Harrier jet crashes, but encountered significant FOIA restrictions that excluded narr…
Journalists investigating air pollution trends in California's Central Valley discovered that standard statistical methods like linear regression fail with seasonal data, so they a…
Data analysis revealed that Louisville's air quality poses significant health risks, with toxic chemical concentrations hundreds of times higher than EPA safety standards, identifi…
Detroit-area journalists conducted a seven-month investigation using soil sampling, GIS mapping, and interviews to reveal that lead contamination in soil from old smelters and lead…
The IRE and NICAR Database Library is seeking journalists to donate raw government databases they've used for stories, reviving the original co-op model to expand their collection …
IRE publishes "Unstacking the Deck: A Reporter's Guide To Campaign Finance," a resource written by veteran journalists that provides guidance on investigating campaign finance thro…
IRE's 'In the News' resource helps journalists quickly find databases and information sources when major disasters and news events occur, as demonstrated during the recent power bl…
The San Diego Union-Tribune used IRS migration data to report on residents leaving the region for cheaper housing in the West, illustrating how journalists can track population mov…
An investigation into no-bid government contracts in Tennessee, revealing potential corruption and cronyism.
A look at the health of Puget Sound using various indicators of pollution, exploring sources and impacts on marine life.
An in-depth examination of the state of children in Northeast Ohio using data-driven storytelling to create a report-card approach.
Journalists can access three key databases—payrolls, pensions, and check registers—to investigate public employee compensation, benefits, and spending patterns.
An Ohio newspaper analysis revealed that state agencies hired thousands of workers, including highly paid administrators, despite Gov. Bob Taft's hiring freeze during a budget cris…
A journalist describes her experience updating a 1990 analysis of Maryland's highest-paid public employees, detailing her challenges obtaining salary data through public informatio…
The Star-Ledger used computer-assisted reporting to uncover that New Jersey local government agencies face nearly $1.5 billion in liabilities for unused sick and vacation time payo…
The IRE and NICAR Database Library provides journalists with comprehensive archived federal spending data from 1979-2002, including contracts and assistance awards, enabling them t…
An exploration into a New York state senator's campaign finance, raising questions about the implications of campaign spending and gifts related to political influence and ethics.
The Hartford Courant's analysis of municipal payroll data revealed that Hartford police officers earned a median income of $75,000 last year through overtime opportunities, with so…
The Toronto Star received the Michener Award for its 'Race and Crime' series, which used a landmark database request to investigate police racial profiling.
Stephen Doig explains how to use ArcView's 3D Analyst extension to create three-dimensional maps for news reporting, using a St. Paul income study as an example.
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer investigated two decades of missing-persons cases in Washington, finding that police negligence and database errors led to unsolved murders and unide…
Updates on the Mortality, Multiple Cause-of-Death database, upcoming ArcView GIS mapping training, and available tipsheets from the 2003 CAR conference.
Journalists from The Boston Globe and other organizations overcame data shortages by creating internal databases to investigate sexual misconduct within the Catholic Church.
Census reporters face challenges when Census tract boundaries shift over time, making historical comparisons difficult. The article explains how to use the Census Bureau's tract-to…
A newspaper investigation uncovered a scheme where California community colleges enrolled high school athletes in fake college physical education courses taught by their high schoo…
A journalist's first computer-assisted reporting project reveals that obtaining data is easier than determining how to use it effectively, ultimately leading to an unexpected story…
Following the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, journalists used the Federal Procurement Data System to analyze NASA contractor spending, with the IRE and NICAR Database Library qui…
The IRE and NICAR Database Library have released a new Federal Audit Clearinghouse database containing 170,900 audit records from 1997-2003 that track how government agencies and n…
IRE and NICAR offer computer-assisted reporting training opportunities, including CAR Boot Camps in Columbia, Missouri scheduled for May and August that teach journalists to use sp…
A guide to organizing databases and resources for covering war-related stories, with focus on military and security data sources including Census Bureau information and Defense Dep…
The article discusses how journalists can gain access to restricted data for computer-assisted reporting by signing research agreements.
The IRE and NICAR Database Library offers specialized data processing and analysis services for news organizations, recently completing projects including Census data transformatio…
Sun's StarOffice and the free OpenOffice.org are impressive Microsoft Office alternatives with strong word processing capabilities, but they have limitations in spreadsheet functio…
Journalists can leverage SAS programs from government agencies to create lookup tables and translation tools in more accessible programs like Excel, Access, and FoxPro, enabling da…
A Hamilton, Ontario newspaper investigation into restaurant safety practices revealed widespread food-handling violations and inadequate health department inspections, while munici…
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram analyzed 5 million hospital discharge records using a federal statistical program to uncover patterns in patient care and hospital quality across North…
A Buffalo News investigation used a database of judicial candidates to expose how political party bosses controlled the judge nomination process through improper fundraising practi…
The article identifies numerous online resources and databases where journalists can access religious data beyond the standard Churches And Church Membership survey, including arch…
Journalists can use the Churches And Church Membership In The United States survey, conducted every 10 years by religious organizations, to analyze religious demographics and membe…
The SBA Disaster Loans and 7(a) business loan databases contain hundreds of thousands of records showing which small businesses received federal loans for disaster recovery and gen…
Medical errors cause tens of thousands of deaths annually, prompting journalists to use databases like MAUDE and state health records to investigate faulty medical devices, nursing…
Analysis of FDA data reveals issues with medical implants and regulatory system flaws.
Journalists across the country use database reporting and open records requests to investigate poorly regulated assisted living centers and nursing homes, revealing widespread unde…
A spreadsheet technique using IF formulas to identify duplicate jury duty summons by comparing last names, first names, and street addresses, allowing manual review to remove true …
Journalists in San Antonio investigated Bexar County's criminal justice system and discovered thousands of cases were dismissed due to lack of speedy trial, after fighting over a y…
A journalist used computer-assisted reporting to investigate elevator safety in Missouri, creating a database to analyze inspection violations that had never been systematically ev…
The U.S. Census Bureau released Summary File 3 data in August and September 2000, containing detailed demographic information from the 2000 Census that journalists are using to inv…
IRE and NICAR are offering training workshops in computer-assisted reporting and Census 2000 data analysis for journalists, with multiple events scheduled in January and February a…
NICAR provides journalists with aircraft registration data covering over 320,000 planes and FAA accident/incident databases spanning from 1973 to 2002, enabling reporters to invest…
The Database Library has updated its collection of transportation databases, including the Fatal Accident Reporting System for vehicle accidents, truck crash data, and multiple avi…
Reporters have leveraged computer-assisted reporting and data analysis, using resources such as the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports, to enhance their coverage of national and local cri…
Computer-assisted reporting reveals critical flaws in criminal justice systems, including Texas judges failing to grant speedy trials resulting in suspect releases, racial disparit…
A journalist describes a method for crowdsourcing data cleanup by exporting chunks to Excel, having colleagues mark changes, then using Excel formulas to generate FoxPro code that …
The FAA has withheld enforcement database data from journalists since September 2001, citing security concerns and refusing to release information about security and hazardous mate…
CNN.com undertook a computer-assisted reporting project to assess the terrorism preparedness of major U.S. cities post-9/11, ultimately evaluating 30 cities based on population and…
West Virginia journalists investigated the impact of school consolidations on student bus rides by constructing their own database of 1,569 bus runs after discovering the state had…
Journalists investigating Pennsylvania's scholarship tax-credit program discovered that millions in state tax dollars were being funneled to private religious schools with minimal …
The Center for Public Integrity conducted a yearlong investigation of state political party finances by converting nearly 400,000 paper and electronic records into standardized dat…
Uplink newsletter announces a redesign with new features like mapping coverage while retaining popular sections, and introduces coordination with The IRE Journal plus four new cont…
The IRE and NICAR Database Library has added the Consumer Product Safety Commission Injury and Death database to its collection, offering detailed information about consumer produc…
An investigation reveals how taxpayer dollars benefit lobbyists and contractors instead of students in Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
Journalists are encouraged to use databases to add depth to school reporting, with the No Child Left Behind Act increasing the need for detailed education stories.
Federal agencies removal of information from web sites post-9/11 hampers journalists' access, with new legislation potentially restricting more data.
As the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act takes effect in November 2002, this journalism newsletter provides resources and reporting guidance on covering campaign finance, including da…
A Chicago journalist describes obtaining prescription-monitoring data from Illinois to report on ADHD drug use in children, discovering that state records showing where patients li…
Investigative Reporters and Editors will hold a regional conference in Savannah, Georgia on October 19-20, featuring computer-assisted reporting training and investigative journali…
The article warns that SF3 census data on school enrollment comes from a sample survey with imputed values and significant error margins, particularly for smaller geographic areas,…
The article explains important limitations of SF3 census data, including that it comes from a sample survey with imputed values and statistical margins of error that are larger for…
This article highlights investigative resources available through IRE and NICAR, including databases on medical device failures, physician malpractice, and vehicle recalls.
The article warns journalists about limitations in SF3 census data, including imputation methods for missing responses and significant error margins that are larger for smaller geo…
Journalists can use U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission databases to provide detailed insights into swimming pool accidents and other consumer product related injuries.
The Washington Post and a University of Missouri student received top investigative reporting honors for data-driven projects on child protection failures and storm water permittin…
Reporters at The Kansas City Star utilized multiple databases to investigate and report on the fatal consequences of long-haul truck driver fatigue.
The IRE and NICAR Database Library recently added new datasets regarding truck inspections and federal grants, while updating existing databases on boating accidents, AIDS cases, a…
Journalists can use public databases like 10-K Wizard, FreeERISA, and Department of Labor records to investigate pension plans and retirement savings, with examples of reporters un…
VCU journalism students built a database of gifts given to Virginia legislators, highlighting expensive trips and potential conflicts of interest.
The Wilmington News Journal investigated a surge in campaign donations from MBNA executives, linking the spending to efforts to pass bankruptcy reform legislation.
Ron Nixon reviews various software tools like Splitter and NameChop that automate the tedious process of parsing and cleaning dirty name and address data.
A compilation of technical advice from NICAR listservs, covering file transfers, database management in Access, and mapping techniques.
An exploration of various workplace data sources, including OSHA logs, pension filings, and workers' compensation records, used by journalists to investigate employer practices.
USA Today recounts how their data editors manually constructed a database of September 11 victims to verify death toll figures and tell personal stories.
This article outlines recent updates to the IRE and NICAR Database Library, covering databases for medical device failures, home mortgages, truck accidents, and fatal car accidents…
Journalists should prepare disaster coverage in advance by building databases and understanding data limitations, as exemplified by how newsrooms used FAA enforcement data after 9/…
The Courier-Journal used computer-assisted reporting and traditional journalism to investigate code enforcement in Jefferson County, Kentucky, uncovering how a sprawling apartment …
Cross tabs and pivot tables are powerful data analysis tools that allow journalists to quickly reorganize and compare large datasets by rearranging fields into rows and columns. Th…
The IRE and NICAR data library provides comprehensive FAA and NASA databases for investigating aviation safety, enforcement actions, maintenance issues, and pilot credentials.
The Seattle Times investigated airport security at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport following the 9/11 attacks by analyzing FAA enforcement data, conducting interviews, and req…
The IRE and NICAR data library provides comprehensive FAA and NASA databases for investigative journalists to research aviation safety, enforcement actions, maintenance issues, acc…
After 9/11, a Dallas-Fort Worth newsroom used NICAR's federal contractor database to identify local defense companies that might benefit from increased military spending, finding o…
Newsday reporters created a comprehensive database of September 11th victims by collecting names from multiple sources, then used computer-assisted reporting and data analysis tool…
A NICAR-L discussion post explains how to use the Trim function in an Access update query to remove leading and trailing spaces from database fields.
An Excel user asks how to highlight top-ranked election candidates using conditional formatting, and receives instructions for using RANK function results with bold and colored for…
A quick tip explaining how to transpose rows and columns in an Excel spreadsheet using Paste Special.
A CAR reporter investigated security lapses at Lehigh Valley International Airport by analyzing FAA enforcement data, then used Department of Transportation enplanement data to ide…
A journalist describes using CAR techniques and FAA security databases to report on security lapses at Newark Airport following 9/11, despite severe technological constraints and c…
A journalist uses data analysis techniques to decode the FAA's cryptic airport security violation database, discovering it contains both security failures and successes, with diffe…
Following the September 11 attacks, federal agencies have begun removing public databases and records from their websites citing security concerns, despite no explicit White House …
A CNN.com investigation reveals that private security firms hired by airlines to staff airport checkpoints operate with inadequate staffing due to low wages, leading to high turnov…
Following 9/11, journalists analyzed FAA enforcement data to examine security violations at major U.S. airports and airlines, focusing on weapons detected over a 10-year period to …
An investigation revealed that over 180,000 Illinois students were taught by teachers who had flunked at least one competency test. The analysis exposed significant gaps in teacher…
The IRE and NICAR Database Library has updated several public databases including records on commercial trucks, U.S. dams, workplace safety inspections, and disaster loans approved…
Two young reporters discovered that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had miscalculated Firestone tire-related deaths by including two pet deaths in their official…
The article outlines multiple investigative angles on underground storage tank regulations, including insurance fund depletion, inspection oversight, and equipment failures, while …
Journalists used computer-assisted reporting to uncover that thousands of underground storage tanks continue to leak and pollute water and soil despite federal regulations and bill…
A journalist discovers open source software like MySQL, Linux, and Apache as cost-effective alternatives to expensive commercial databases and applications for computer-assisted re…
A journalism investigation into New Bedford's drug court system revealed inconsistent sentencing patterns and high recidivism rates, with similar offenders receiving vastly differe…
A journalist with two decades of crime reporting created a comprehensive database of 435 child sexual assault cases to expose the reality that perpetrators are rarely strangers and…
Journalists built a custom database from scratch to track mortgage fraud by compiling public property records manually, highlighting both the control and risks of creating data sys…
A journalism investigation into secret U.S. government nuclear weapons contractors revealed how over 300 private companies processed radioactive materials in the 1940s-50s while he…
Consumer Reports built a custom database to rate America's airports from scratch, revealing that travelers in major metro areas increasingly have multiple airport options including…
A journalist discovers that while computer-assisted reporting on railroad crossing accidents is easily accessible, the most dangerous crossings aren't always the best stories, lead…
The IRE Resource Center offers tipsheets providing guidance on building databases for investigative reporting, including cost-effective strategies and best practices from experienc…
This article explains practical database tools and features that journalists can use to efficiently enter and manage large volumes of paper documents, including forms, input masks,…
Following the 9/11 attacks, news organizations relied on CAR (Computer Assisted Reporting) and FAA enforcement databases to investigate airport security vulnerabilities, but the FA…
A smaller newspaper's approach to efficiently covering Census data releases through advance planning, dummy databases, and pre-written story templates, allowing them to compete wit…
A journalist at The News Tribune describes her journey learning computer-assisted reporting (CAR) while covering county government, starting with property records and navigating te…
A South Florida newspaper investigated whether the largest water users in drought-stricken Palm Beach County were conserving, facing significant obstacles from fragmented utility s…
An investigation by KTRK's 13 Undercover unit, confirmed by a $300,000 audit, reveals widespread mismanagement in Houston's Section 8 housing program, including excessive rents, in…
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review used computer-assisted ratio studies to evaluate whether Allegheny County's $24 million property reassessment was accurate, finding significant flaws …
The Star-Ledger developed a Standardized Town Reporting program to provide contextual, data-driven local government coverage across New Jersey's fragmented municipal system, using …
A Pennsylvania newspaper obtained early data on a county property reassessment and used Excel, mapping software, and publicly available millage rates to calculate how individual ta…
Former Camden Mayor Milton Milan is sentenced for corruption. Persistent coverage by the Courier-Post, using CAR techniques, highlights misuse of campaign funds and connections wit…
An investigation into Waterbury's fiscal crisis reveals over $55 million in unpaid taxes. A published list highlights delinquent real estate taxpayers, questioning if the city's fi…
NICAR has updated its U.S. Coast Guard boating accident and boat registration databases, which journalists can use to analyze local boating safety data, with pricing based on circu…
Journalists covering census data between 1990 and 2000 must navigate new multiracial categories and measurement challenges by identifying clear trends rather than claiming scientif…
The Health Care Financing Administration provides publicly accessible Medicare data through its website that journalists and the public can use to research healthcare providers, co…
A journalist investigates how special interest money influences West Virginia's Legislature by analyzing campaign contributions, lobbyist spending, and conflicts of interest to sho…
The U.S. Forest Service maintains databases on forest fires and arsons that journalists can use to investigate fire incidents, their causes, and impacts on communities. Two main da…
Virginia Commonwealth University journalism students analyzed state legislator gift disclosures and found lawmakers received approximately $118,000 in gifts from special interests,…
A Colorado reporter obtained the state's school grading formula and used Excel and statistical software to calculate what grades schools would receive under a proposed law, reveali…
St. Louis Post-Dispatch education reporters analyzed school funding disparities in Missouri and Illinois by adjusting for geographic costs and special student needs, using data ana…
Virginia schools are increasingly hiring teachers with alternative licenses who lack traditional qualifications like passing the PRAXIS I exam, prompting concern from officials and…
A Columbus newspaper uncovered racial and economic inequities in the school district by obtaining electronic records that revealed unequal opportunities across elementary schools, …
California's class-size reduction law five years ago created over 25,000 new teaching positions, but this rapid expansion has led to a persistent teacher shortage that disproportio…
The article discusses how Oregon's suburban schools are not as exceptional as often claimed. Using analysis that accounts for family backgrounds, the research identifies schools th…
NICAR has updated several journalism databases including FBI crime reports, bridge inspection data, and FAA accident records, with pricing tiered by organization size. Resources fr…
Journalists discuss using PL94 census data to identify neighborhoods with unusually high concentrations of children, with tips on verifying findings and where to expect such demogr…
A journalist describes how extensive preparation, including data processing systems and pre-planned story angles, enabled his newsroom to execute comprehensive 2000 Census coverage…
Journalists used computer programming and automated data searches through SEC records, patent databases, and other public sources to uncover financial conflicts of interest among r…
A seven-month investigation into Florida's auto insurance fraud revealed over 4,000 residents involved in at least 1,400 suspicious accidents during the 1990s, exposing a network o…
Several IRE Award winners used computer-assisted reporting techniques including databases, mapping software, and data analysis to investigate stories ranging from insurance company…
The Palm Beach Post's investigation found that the gated city of Atlantis issued traffic tickets almost exclusively to non-residents (99.3 percent) after taking control of three bo…
NICAR offers transportation datasets including FAA and NTSB aviation records that journalists can use to develop stories, with pricing tiers based on news organization size.
A Fort Worth Star-Telegram reporter used transportation datasets to identify the most dangerous driving routes in Texas by normalizing accident data against traffic volume, demonst…
A journalist used database analysis to investigate overtime practices at Houston's Metropolitan Transit Authority, discovering drivers were working excessive hours and earning over…
An investigation into trucking safety reveals that many trucks avoid inspections by using back roads, and analysis of multiple federal and state databases shows that the official o…
A Florida newspaper's investigation into deadly crashes on Interstate 95 revealed that fatalities had doubled over five years, prompting state and local officials to take action af…
The Census 2000 data release presents increasing complexity for journalists using computer-assisted reporting, with upcoming Summary File 1 containing vastly more variables and det…
Investigates issues with Firestone tires on Ford Explorers, identifying a surge in tire-related fatal accidents and highlighting potential oversight by government and manufacturers…
A collection of tipsheets providing guidance on using computer-assisted reporting (CAR) and databases to investigate local elections, including lobbyist influence, official salarie…
Investigative reporter Thomas Hargrove discovered that voting irregularities and uncounted votes were not unique to Florida's 2000 election, but rather a widespread systemic proble…
This article provides a step-by-step guide for election reporters on how to use spreadsheets, databases, and mapping software to analyze election results by precinct, revealing vot…
A small-circulation newspaper in Tallahassee used basic spreadsheet analysis to uncover a correlation between county income levels and uncounted votes during Florida's 2000 electio…
An in-depth investigation into the Florida presidential election, focusing on voter fraud and undetermined ballots.
IRE and NICAR are offering numerous training opportunities in 2000, including a spring mapping bootcamp focused on Census data, statistics seminars, and computer-assisted reporting…
Miami Herald journalists conducted a four-month investigation analyzing over 50 databases to examine the legitimacy of Florida's 2000 presidential election, which hinged on just 50…
NICAR Database Library announces updated datasets on hazardous materials incidents, AIDS cases, and NEA grants, while highlighting recent computer-assisted reporting investigations…
A St. Paul Pioneer Press investigation examined restaurant inspection records across the Twin Cities to determine whether establishments were following health codes and whether con…
A journalist describes using data journalism techniques learned at NICAR Boot Camp to investigate whether bad weather correlates with increased parking tickets by combining weather…
A journalist describes building an inexpensive GIS mapping system for under $300 using free public domain data and off-the-shelf software, which was successfully deployed to analyz…
The Associated Press conducted a comprehensive study comparing quality of life metrics on Indian reservations with and without casinos during the 1990s, finding that welfare partic…
The Columbus Dispatch investigated Ohio's gambling industry by analyzing lottery sales data mapped by ZIP code and estimating out-of-state casino gambling through multiple data sou…
A Kansas newspaper obtained a traffic accident database revealing that some drivers had numerous accidents and convictions despite lax enforcement of license suspension laws, promp…
An AP investigation using computer-assisted reporting reveals that despite the American Indian gambling industry's explosive growth from $100 million to $8.26 billion between 1988-…
Enterprise joins allow journalists to match databases from different sources to uncover investigative stories, but reporters must use careful methodology to avoid false matches, in…
A journalist explains how to build historical census data archives for local newspapers, providing practical tips for accessing demographic information from past decades through li…
The article discusses the complexities in comparing racial data from the 1990 and 2000 Census due to changes allowing multiracial categories, and solutions to overcome these issues…
Despite a significant reform effort by New Jersey's child protection agency, children are spending more time in foster care. The article explores the state's lack of progress again…
The article discusses upcoming Census 2000 data release plans, provides technical solutions for importing fixed-width text into Access, and introduces the NICAR Database Library's …
Journalists discuss their investigation into rampage killings, detailing the challenges of defining terms, accessing incomplete news databases, and lack of social science research,…
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution conducted a comprehensive investigation into gender equity in Georgia high school athletics by analyzing education department civil rights cases, s…
A Chicago Tribune investigation used the FDA's MAUDE database combined with multiple public records sources to uncover how inadequately trained and overwhelmed nurses cause thousan…
The NICAR Database Library has expanded its collection with new datasets including Storm Events, National Practitioner Databank, DOT Truck Census and Accidents, and Airmen Director…
This article explains how to use subqueries in database management to solve complex data problems, such as finding the most recent inspection for each facility or determining an of…
A tipsheet from The Miami Herald's Liz Donovan provides journalists with a comprehensive list of online public records databases and people-finder tools useful for investigative re…
FileMaker Pro Unlimited 5 offers a quick and resource-efficient solution for setting up searchable intranet databases without programming, allowing newsrooms to deploy working data…
A reporter used computer-assisted reporting to uncover flawed data in Florida's designer drug death study, revealing that state officials had improperly counted 80 cases unrelated …
An investigation by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and WSB-TV found that over 4,900 people in Georgia have received multiple second chances under the First Offender Act since 198…
The Journal Gazette conducted an ambitious computer-assisted reporting project in 1999 to identify major players in Fort Wayne's rental housing industry, revealing that the county …
The Journal Gazette conducted an ambitious computer-assisted reporting project to identify major landlords and property managers in Fort Wayne's rental housing market, revealing th…
A comprehensive analysis of New York City's rental market reveals a significant increase in median rents during the 1990s, although growth in income has kept pace.
An investigation into the effectiveness of housing inspections in St. Paul, revealing systemic issues in addressing repeat offenders of housing code violations.
A reporter and researcher collaborate to analyze prison data by matching Wisconsin inmate records with out-of-state prison populations to investigate whether privatized Tennessee p…
An analysis of Seattle's housing market reveals that despite rapid price increases in desirable neighborhoods, homes are more affordable now compared to the last 15 years due to ri…
Student journalists at Miami University fought a legal battle to access college disciplinary records, ultimately losing when the U.S. Department of Education intervened to enforce …
An investigation by The Chronicle of Philanthropy reveals that many large nonprofits are failing to accurately report fund-raising expenses on their IRS Form 990 tax returns, despi…
The article explains how to handle difficult-to-import data files using programming, specifically Visual Basic, when traditional tools like Excel's import wizard fall short. It out…
Journalists used data analysis and investigative legwork to de-anonymize the National Practitioner Data Bank by cross-referencing malpractice records with public state disciplinary…
A journalist describes lessons learned from a NICAR computer-assisted reporting boot camp while analyzing city employee salary data for a pay equity story, emphasizing the importan…
A journalist explores Russia's surprisingly accessible data markets, discovering that personal information can be purchased for relatively small amounts of money, starting with an …
A California journalist mapped school performance rankings across a county using GIS tools, discovering that highest-ranked schools clustered in wealthy areas while lowest-ranked s…
Guide for journalists on accessing and using Census 2000 data through shapefiles and TIGER files, with resources for downloading geographic data from the Census Bureau and ESRI.
A Roanoke journalist used GIS mapping and building permit data to reveal that over a thousand structures, including a new biomedical center, were being built in flood-prone areas d…
The New York Times published a four-part investigative series analyzing 100 mass murder cases over 50 years, finding greater links to mental illness than violent video games and de…
The article discusses the importance of using GIS software to map U.S. Census data, highlighting the advantages GIS provides for creating detailed demographic maps effortlessly as …
The FBI's 1998 Uniform Crime Reports database is now available through NICAR's data library, containing crime statistics reported by law enforcement agencies, alongside other datab…
The Inquirer used Perl regular expressions to standardize 700,000 crime records with inconsistently formatted Philadelphia addresses, cleaning up about 70,000 malformed entries by …
Ferrett, a redesigned federal data analysis tool built in Java, enables journalists and researchers to easily query large government datasets like the Current Population Survey wit…
New Jersey public employees have accumulated over $200 million in unused sick and vacation time benefits that are often hidden from public view, with a team of reporters uncovering…
SQL Server is a powerful database solution for journalists and computer-assisted reporters that can handle large datasets and networked data access far better than Access, eliminat…
The Star Tribune overcame significant legal and technical obstacles to build a criminal justice database linking probation and jail records across Minnesota counties, resulting in …
An Arkansas Democrat-Gazette investigation using court databases and case files reveals that repeat offenders often receive multiple convictions before facing prison time, highligh…
This article outlines cost-effective data journalism strategies for reporters, including using census data, school test scores, employee salaries, and economic indicators, while su…
Environmental reporters should access state-level databases for more current information than federal sources, prepare for lengthy FOIA requests, and thoroughly study relevant regu…
A collaborative investigation by three small Louisiana newspapers revealed that the state's Department of Environmental Quality failed to resolve long-standing pollution cases and …
IRE's Kentucky Fried CAR conference will be held in Lexington from September 14-17, offering over 50 panels and 40 training sessions on computer-assisted reporting techniques for j…
An investigative team explores if local law enforcement keeps its promise to enforce DUI laws by examining case dismissals when police fail to appear in court.
NICAR has updated its data library website with improved information about available databases for journalists, including descriptions, sample data, record layouts, pricing, and re…
The NICAR database library has updated the National Bridge Inventory System database with bridge inspection records from 1998 and 1999, including maintenance data collected by the …
A programming competition demonstrates Perl's superior speed and efficiency for data parsing compared to VBScript, highlighting why Perl has become an essential tool for computer-a…
Journalists can use county tax assessment databases to expose unfair and inaccurate property valuations that create disparities in taxation across similar properties, as demonstrat…
Newsday provides resources for exploring property tax assessment disparities, including investigative stories about uneven tax burdens and links to national assessment data and pro…
The Consolidated Federal Funds Report (CFFR) data, compiled by the Bureau of the Census, provides detailed information about federal government expenditures across states, counties…
Maps cannot simultaneously preserve all properties of the Earth's spherical surface when flattened, so cartographers must choose which attributes (area, distance, direction, or sha…
The Charlotte Observer investigated deaths in North Carolina mental health facilities by analyzing death certificate data, uncovering a lack of oversight that allowed dangerous tre…
This article introduces Access Modules, which allow programmers to extend Access database functionality beyond built-in query tools and import features, starting with a basic 'Hell…
Reporters at The Record leverage voter registration records and intranet resources to access public information for investigative journalism, including voter data, salary records, …
This article discusses the importance of preparation and 'thinking in rows and columns' to successfully integrate computer-assisted reporting into daily deadline workflows.
IRE and NICAR are offering Census 2000 workshops in three locations with expert instructors, while also updating several federal databases including the Consolidated Federal Funds …
An investigation into Oklahoma City's choice school movement reveals that these schools disproportionately serve white, wealthy students from educated neighborhoods, while neighbor…
A tutorial on creating and using a Microsoft Access module that removes leading, trailing, and extra spaces between words in database fields.
Instructions for converting character date fields (like '01021999') to formatted date fields (like '01/02/1999') using either Access or FoxPro database software.
A Pittsburgh Tribune-Review investigation uses computer-assisted reporting to analyze Pennsylvania lottery sales data by zip code and demographic information to determine whether p…
The Pioneer Press analyzed nonprofit arts organizations' finances in the Twin Cities, finding they experienced significant financial growth during the 1990s. Newsday's investigatio…
A Providence Journal investigative reporter explains how to use Microsoft Access forms as building blocks for creating stand-alone programs that allow journalists to query database…
Pennsylvania journalists analyzed hunting accident data from the state Game Commission to debunk the myth that younger hunters are safer, discovering that hunters 17 and under are …
The St. Paul Pioneer Press investigated convicted felons who were illegally hunting in Minnesota and found 236 violent felons who had received hunting permits despite being prohibi…
Sarah Cohen from The Washington Post explains how journalists can access federal firearms databases, including the ATF's Firearms Tracing System and multiple sales gun database, wh…
An investigation into Connecticut's correctional system revealed systemic issues with prisoners escaping from halfway houses, linking this to failures in monitoring and arrest foll…
The Denver Post conducted an investigation following the Columbine massacre, focusing on how police guns became crime guns and detailing the 'Gun Pipeline' of firearms linked to va…
The Supreme Court upheld restrictions on drivers' license data access, creating varying challenges for journalists across states, while NICAR announces upcoming bootcamps and updat…
NICAR provides access to numerous government databases covering aviation safety, vehicle recalls, transportation accidents, and other regulatory records spanning multiple decades f…
NICAR maintains a comprehensive collection of public databases covering federal enforcement records, accident data, and safety reports across aviation, transportation, and maritime…
The MAUDE database tracks medical device failures and patient injuries, replacing the older MDR system, and offers journalists opportunities to investigate defective device manufac…
Data analysts must carefully handle missing data (nulls) in databases, as calculating summary statistics like averages on incomplete datasets can be misleading and misrepresent the…
This collection includes two investigative journalism series: one analyzing high school performance using regression analysis of state test scores and lunch program participation, …
IRE and NICAR are hosting a series of two-day workshops on working with Census data, with the first scheduled for Arizona in April, followed by sessions in Missouri and Maryland, c…
An investigation into Ohio's nursing home system reveals systemic failures in care quality and regulatory enforcement, particularly affecting elderly residents without adequate fin…
This resource guide highlights two key government and research websites for accessing immigration statistics and scientific policy reports, including INS data on refugee applicatio…
A comprehensive list of international data sources including government databases for securities, census, immigration, and arms transfers, plus scientific research resources.
Computer-assisted reporting (CAR) is underdeveloped outside the United States due to lack of electronic databases, but journalists can access valuable U.S. government and instituti…
Two investigative journalism series examine institutional accountability: one analyzes high school performance using statistical regression and socioeconomic factors, while the oth…
A Swedish financial crime agency created with extensive resources and specialized staff to combat organized crime instead spent its time prosecuting small business owners with book…
El Universal conducted a 32-question census survey of candidates before Venezuela's National Constituent Assembly elections, enabling readers to understand the elected representati…
The Tennessean investigated Tennessee's claim of above-average student test scores and found significant discrepancies between norm-referenced tests and independent assessments lik…
The U.S. Coast Guard's Marine Safety Information System database has been updated through June 30, 1999, containing registration information on over 265,000 commercial and recreati…
The Free Press created a comprehensive MS Access database of current and historical cardinals to analyze potential papal successors to the aging Pope John Paul II, discovering 107 …
Robert Gebeloff sought solutions for parsing a semicolon-delimited ASCII data file lacking record separators, receiving eight different approaches ranging from Perl scripts to Word…
A journalism student uses computer-assisted reporting to investigate bridge conditions in Missouri, discovering that while database analysis provided initial leads, direct expert c…
The Daily Oklahoman used geocoding and census data to assign demographic indicators like median income and educational attainment to Oklahoma City students by linking their address…
A guide for journalists covering managed care and healthcare reporting, detailing key databases and sources including hospital procedures, disciplined doctors, financial records, a…
Newsday's investigative series revealed that managed-care companies employ doctors who have faced serious disciplinary action, despite promising quality care to patients. The inves…
A Mercury News analysis of Silicon Valley's wealth distribution reveals economic paradoxes: while roughly 1 in 9 Santa Clara County households are millionaires, most residents aren…
The Dayton Daily News obtained military aviation accident databases through FOIA requests to examine safety patterns across the Air Force, Army, and Navy, discovering that analyzin…
The 2000 Census will determine how the 435 House seats are reapportioned among states based on population changes, with some states gaining seats while others lose them through a m…
Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) is hosting regional and national conferences in 2000, along with computer-assisted reporting boot camps and training programs for journali…
A tech guide explaining how to properly convert latitude and longitude data from degrees/minutes/seconds format to decimal degrees for use in mapping programs, with practical examp…
A journalist describes investigating McCain's campaign contributions using database analysis to uncover bundling practices, where coordinated donations from employees of the same c…
The Fatal Accident Reporting System (FARS) dataset, maintained by the U.S. Department of Transportation since 1975, contains detailed information on fatal traffic accidents and can…
The article provides resources for journalists to access data on foreign aircraft registrations following the EgyptAir crash, including commercial databases like Aviation Data Serv…
This tipsheet provides journalists with strategies for overcoming common excuses from data custodians who resist providing access to databases, including tactics for dealing with c…
A Washington Post database editor's attempt to obtain immigration hearing data from the Justice Department starts with a promising meeting but devolves into bureaucratic delays and…
Journalists requesting data from government agencies should first gather detailed technical information about the dataset and then submit a comprehensive FOIA request that specifie…
Privatization of public data by government contractors creates barriers for journalists seeking access to records, with vendors charging excessive fees despite legal protections fo…
The article investigates ongoing issues with hazardous materials on airlines following the 1996 Valujet crash and evaluates the effectiveness of FAA's enforcement.
The article provides guidance on obtaining government databases through freedom of information requests, recommending a two-phase approach: first attempting friendly negotiations w…
Journalists and statistical experts discuss how to properly interpret Census Bureau income and poverty data, including the correct confidence levels for state-level estimates and t…
This article provides a curated list of resources for accessing and downloading George W. Bush's campaign contribution reports and related financial disclosures in various digital …
George W. Bush's campaign finance data is publicly available online but only in a massive PDF format that is difficult to work with, requiring specialized software and methods to c…
A journalist describes the challenges of obtaining and analyzing 911 dispatch records for a Columbus police response time investigation, including data formatting issues and missin…
The Bureau of Justice Statistics Clearinghouse provides comprehensive reports on school safety and crime, including national data on school violence, prevention strategies, and per…
This resource guide provides journalists with links to government databases and reports on school violence, including juvenile justice data, education statistics, and school crime …
Journalists across the country have discovered major inconsistencies in school violence reporting data, with schools using different definitions and methods to record incidents, re…
An Albuquerque newspaper obtained and combined three years of crime data from school district and city police records to reveal that district crime reports significantly underestim…
Journalists investigated school expulsion data by combining official statistics with on-the-ground reporting, uncovering significant discrepancies between state and federal gun-rel…
A journalist investigates allegations that San Francisco's District Attorney Terence Hallinan is dismissing serious criminal charges through excessive plea-bargaining, using Califo…
An Indianapolis journalist obtained Indiana's school discipline database and analyzed expulsion data school-by-school, discovering both valuable insights and important limitations …
NICAR has released updated datasets including the MAUDE medical device reporting database and IRS 990 tax-exempt organization database, available through their data library.
The article discusses methods for handling pipe-delimited text files in FoxPro 2.6, which cannot natively support pipe delimiters, offering solutions including using FoxPro's built…
IRE and NICAR are launching a series of hands-on workshops across Midwestern state capitals to teach journalists data analysis skills for covering campaign finance, funded by a Joy…
Software programs like SPSS and Excel often produce different numerical results for statistical calculations like percentiles, and economists warn that journalists and analysts sho…
Journalists discuss the challenges of comparing SAT scores across states, noting that participation rates and demographic factors significantly affect results and that simple stati…
Education reporters can use publicly available school enrollment, budget, and employee data as investigative tools to analyze district performance and funding disparities, though a…
A New York Daily News investigation used data analysis and computer tools to expose disparities in organ transplants, revealing that African-American and Latino patients in the New…
Following JFK Jr.'s 1999 plane crash, aviation databases provided crucial context for understanding the accident, revealing spatial disorientation as a likely cause and highlightin…
A journalist investigates racial disparities in death rates from preventable and treatable diseases, finding that Black men die at nearly three times the rate of white men, using C…
A journalist uses computer-assisted reporting to investigate teacher absenteeism in Lowell schools, discovering data processing errors and systemic issues hidden within 20,000 scho…
This article explains key concepts in regression analysis, including how to handle outliers, interpret t-tests, and make data transformations, while emphasizing the importance of u…
This article compares SPSS and SAS statistical software programs used in computer-assisted reporting, explaining that SPSS is more user-friendly and affordable for beginners while …
A collection of journalism tipsheets on campaign finance research provides guidance on accessing resources from the National Institute on Money in State Politics, analyzing campaig…
Looks into how high school football programs are financially maintained in Georgia, involving taxpayer money, booster clubs, and coaching salaries.
Investigates lobbyist gifts to Missouri legislators, highlighting the state's lack of restrictions on such gifts and the resulting influence on lawmakers.
Explores the issue of repeat offenders in Minnesota, focusing on the lack of prison sentences for felonies and crimes committed on probation. Uses data analysis to link multiple cr…
NICAR announces updated datasets including Uniform Crime Reports, National Bridge Inventory System, and Federal Contracts Data, along with tipsheets and resources to help journalis…
A journalism guide providing data sources and techniques for investigating urban sprawl, including census data, building permits, property records, and mortgage information to unco…
A journalism educator explains the mathematical foundations of linear regression analysis, encouraging reporters to understand the statistical processes behind regression software …
Reporters struggling to extract data from FBI crime statistics published in Adobe Acrobat format can use Aerial software to convert Acrobat documents into editable text for spreads…
A 1999 IRE Conference handout provides journalists with practical guidance on backgrounding individuals online, starting with search engines and progressing to public records datab…
USA TODAY used computer-assisted reporting to create a database analyzing Supreme Court law clerks' demographics from 1972 onward, finding historically low minority hiring rates. T…
Pine Lake, Georgia raised 78% of its budget from traffic tickets, with a majority issued to African-American drivers on a single road section, sparking protests and investigations …
A hidden camera investigation reveals that pharmacists who make potentially fatal medication errors often escape disciplinary action because lawsuits target pharmacies rather than …
Journalists describe their process of investigating animal transactions using databases from zoos and wildlife organizations, emphasizing the importance of data verification, manua…
An investigative reporter pursues animal disposition records from accredited zoos to track where surplus animals are sent after leaving facilities, eventually seeking access to the…
The Charlotte Observer's investigative series exposed widespread construction defects in new homes across the Carolinas, revealing that overworked building inspectors and inexperie…
A journalist uses computer-assisted reporting to analyze 911 call records and death data, revealing that a private ambulance company failed to meet response time standards for card…
Young teenagers are making large political donations to federal candidates, raising suspicions that wealthy parents are using their children to circumvent campaign contribution lim…
Investigation into welfare reform in Kentucky reveals challenges faced by former welfare recipients, focusing on issues like unemployment and unpaid child support.
The story explores the implications of Charlotte's potential shift from race-based busing to neighborhood schools, post a Supreme Court challenge.
NICAR's Data Library has released updates to FBI Uniform Crime Reports (1980, 1990, 1993-97) containing detailed crime statistics across six databases with information on crime typ…
This article explains three key strategies for building effective web databases for news organizations: using appropriate application server software, breaking traditional relation…
A guide to online resources for accessing satellite imagery and geospatial data from government agencies and international sources, presented at the 1999 NICAR conference.
FIPS codes are standardized federal identification numbers for geographic areas, but their inconsistent storage formats across government databases—sometimes numeric, sometimes cha…
Before diving into data analysis, journalists should visualize their data through histograms and other visual methods to understand its distribution and identify patterns or anomal…
The Philadelphia Inquirer's investigation into falsified crime statistics revealed that the city had systematically undercounted crimes for decades, with police finally admitting t…
Sampley's investigation led to the exhumation and identification of the Vietnam-era Unknown Soldier using military databases, revealing him to be Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie.
This collection of online resources provides journalists with essential tools for learning statistics, polling ethics, spreadsheet management, and general data calculations.
Journalists at the San Antonio Express-News used GIS mapping and database software to show that 75 percent of buildings destroyed by a major flood were located within recognized fl…
A Tallahassee newsroom investigated local car dealers' claims of booming business by examining vehicle registration data, discovering sales were actually down significantly, which …
Real estate flipping—buying property and quickly reselling it for inflated profits—is a widespread scam involving appraisal fraud, straw buyers, and equity skimming that devastates…
The San Jose Mercury News used computer-assisted reporting to analyze Nasdaq trading data, revealing that concentrated dealer competition forces investors to pay significantly high…
The Washington Post investigated police killings in Washington D.C. during the 1990s by examining FBI crime data, discovering that justifiable homicide records were initially missi…
Journalists investigating nursing home quality of care encountered resistance from Indiana state officials who claimed electronic census records didn't exist, but persisted using d…
A Newsday investigation revealed significant racial disparities in healthcare outcomes across the New York region, with Black patients receiving less effective treatments and more …
A study reveals that hospital ownership type significantly impacts how often complications are reported, with for-profit hospitals claiming complications more frequently than non-p…
An investigative journalism project analyzed drinking water safety violations across all 50 states and federal agencies, finding that approximately 40,000 water systems violate saf…
The Indianapolis Star and Indianapolis News expanded their nursing home investigation beyond the initial exposé, uncovering alarming new findings including a 50% increase in violat…
Chicago Tribune reporter Mike Berens' investigation revealed that Illinois was placing mentally ill patients in nursing homes instead of institutions to save costs, leading to fede…
Rural for-profit hospitals in Ohio are allegedly inflating the complexity of elderly patients' illnesses on Medicare claims to receive higher reimbursements, a practice known as up…
A journalism investigation used nursing home inspection data and SEC financial records to compare quality of care at six major publicly traded nursing home companies against other …
USA Today's investigation reveals that thousands of American public water systems violate safe drinking water laws with impunity because enforcement is virtually nonexistent, based…
The Tampa Tribune uncovered that a large nursing-home chain planned to evict more than 50 poor residents in Tampa. This initiated a broader investigation revealing systemic issues …
The article explains how data types work in database queries, specifically addressing a common mistake where journalists query date fields with just a year number instead of a comp…
A guide to state and federal campaign finance databases that allow journalists and the public to search and analyze political contributions and expenditures across multiple jurisdi…
The Campaign Finance Information Center provides journalists with tools, resources, and training to track and report on candidate fundraising and spending patterns during elections…
This guide helps journalists investigate train and subway accidents using federal databases to identify safety patterns, problem railroads, and dangerous crossings. It provides rep…
Aviation reporting requires meticulous research, developing reliable sources, understanding FAA and NTSB databases, and filing FOIA requests to uncover safety issues and regulatory…
The Bureau of Transportation Statistics publishes a free Directory of Transportation Data Sources that catalogs databases from dozens of federal agencies; journalists are also advi…
A guide for computer-assisted reporters on using accident and transportation safety data from federal and local sources, emphasizing the importance of data normalization and cautio…
IRE and NICAR are offering an advanced statistics workshop in May 1999 at UNC's journalism school, instructed by Philip Meyer and Sarah Cohen, with an optional SPSS basics session.…
Sacramento Bee reporters analyzed police crime data by subdistrict to identify neighborhood crime patterns and trends, then conducted community interviews to provide context and de…
Dateline investigated how federal agencies fail to enforce laws prohibiting the sale of unsafe vans to schools, using computerized vehicle databases to show that enforcement could …
Journalists can use database classification and occupation coding to identify trends in campaign contributions, but must carefully consider how to categorize donors, especially lar…
Journalists can build databases of campaign contributions by combining federal and state data, with key challenges including standardizing contributor names and coding occupations,…
A newspaper's 17-month computer-assisted reporting project to analyze Omaha crime data from 13 million mainframe records, overcoming government resistance and data cleaning challen…
An investigation into the coal mining industry's negligence of black lung disease laws, revealing routine defiance of mine dust level regulations.
Newsrooms face a choice between hiring campaign finance consultants or building their own databases to track political contributions, with both approaches offering advantages and l…
Journalists should use inflation-adjusted figures when comparing dollar amounts across years, and the author recommends George Landau's NewsEngin tool as the most accurate and user…
This journalism article provides a guide to the best online resources for accessing crime statistics and data, including major sources like the FBI, Bureau of Justice Statistics, a…
Computer-assisted reporting professionals tackle messy, unstructured datasets using various tools and techniques, with the NICAR-L community providing valuable collaborative proble…
A journalist investigating workplace deaths in Arizona using OSHA data discovered critical gaps in the database, finding 26 undocumented deaths after verification with state offici…
A Louisville jail death investigation revealed that nearly 90 percent of the jail's guards had been disciplined for workplace violations, with serious punishment rarely enforced du…
Police departments in major U.S. cities have resisted releasing electronic crime data to news organizations despite publicizing crime reductions, with Philadelphia's Daily News eve…
The Philadelphia Police Department has systematically misclassified crimes to artificially lower reported crime statistics, which The Philadelphia Inquirer exposed through data ana…
The author argues for annual census counts instead of the current decade-long gap, highlighting how outdated census data makes local demographic reporting inaccurate and forces jou…
County population estimates provide valuable demographic breakdowns including age groups, births, deaths, and migration patterns that can fuel reporting on aging populations, immig…
Census data offers journalists multiple storytelling angles, from annual population updates to trend analysis comparing demographic patterns across geographic and socioeconomic lin…
Census data can be leveraged for both quick news stories and long-term investigative projects by combining population estimates with other datasets to reveal trends and disparities…
A preparatory guide for journalists to get ready for analyzing data from the 2000 Decennial Census, emphasizing the need to develop spreadsheet and mathematical skills before the d…
This article discusses the uncertainty and political battles surrounding the preparation for Census 2000, focusing on the controversy over using sampling in the census count. It hi…
NICAR's Database Library has expanded its collection with several new government datasets including mortgage disclosure records, Small Business Administration loans, arts grants, t…
NICAR journalists developed a FoxPro solution using the ADIR() function to efficiently append hundreds of identically structured database tables into a single dataset, avoiding rep…
Water quality in U.S. streams, rivers, and lakes has declined over the past decade, with agriculture being the leading source of pollution including sediment, nutrients, bacteria, …
A journalist discovers through spreadsheet analysis that Illinois had quietly weakened its emissions testing program, reducing failure rates to one-third before launching an expens…
An overview of how computer-assisted reporting (CAR) is transforming environmental journalism, providing analyses of toxic emissions and hazardous waste locations that would otherw…
Las Vegas Sun reporters used internet research to cut their investigation time from six months to three months while reporting a five-day series on the federal government's Yucca M…
The Toxic Release Inventory database from the EPA provides journalists with detailed information about chemical emissions from companies, accessible through the EPA website or the …
A journalist describes how public data access and database analysis revealed the extent of mountaintop removal coal mining in West Virginia, uncovering violations and complaints th…
A citizen activist group's threat of Clean Water Act lawsuits against Yakima Valley dairies exposed the region's rapid growth as Washington state's dairy capital and revealed wides…
Environmental journalists increasingly rely on computer-assisted reporting (CAR) to analyze large datasets of toxic emissions, hazardous waste locations, and chemical accidents, wi…
ArcView and MapInfo are the leading GIS software products for journalists, each offering distinct advantages in data integration and accessibility, with additional free alternative…
The article references LaFleur's mapping analysis and recommends statistical tools like the Index of Diversity and Percentiles for journalists, along with suggested reading on data…
Data journalists can use advanced statistical tools like the Gini coefficient to measure income inequality more effectively than basic descriptive statistics, allowing for meaningf…
A guide to free and paid government databases for accessing employment, economic, and demographic data at local, state, and regional levels, including resources from the Bureau of …
A newspaper used affordable Maptitude mapping software to visualize Little Rock's $400 million infrastructure wish list, converting the city's complex spreadsheet data into an acce…
A journalism team created a comprehensive map of average daily traffic (ADT) data across the Philadelphia metropolitan area by collecting vehicle count information from state trans…
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and mapping software enable journalists to visualize complex data sets and uncover patterns that would be invisible in raw data, such as crime …
The Campaign Finance Information Clearinghouse offers freely downloadable campaign finance data from 13 states and links to 16 additional search engines, with plans to launch a uni…
A political reporter uses computer-assisted reporting (CAR) and database tools to analyze campaign finance data for a hotly contested state Senate race, discovering that most contr…
This article explains different sampling methods for journalists analyzing large datasets, ranging from simple judgmental samples based on convenience to rigorous random samples, a…
Journalists should plan strategically before requesting school test score data by researching competitor coverage, consulting newsroom colleagues and community members, and maintai…
NICAR's Database Library has expanded its collection to include several new datasets covering mortgage disclosures, small business loans, arts grants, and tax-exempt organization f…
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette created a comprehensive school statistics report ranking 100 schools across Pulaski County by developing a methodology that quantifies school performa…
A journalist discovers that wealthy school districts are disproportionately applying for technology funding through the FCC's E-rate program, while poorer regions lag behind, sugge…
New York news organizations routinely publish standardized test report cards that show wealthy suburban schools outperforming poor urban schools, but researchers find that many inn…
The Detroit Free Press and other major newspapers are moving beyond simple test-score rankings to produce more nuanced school report cards that account for socioeconomic factors an…
Indiana CAR audio tapes and New Orleans IRE conference recordings are available for order, while the Campaign Finance Information Center offers freely downloadable campaign finance…
NICAR's Database Library has updated three FAA databases related to aviation enforcement, service difficulties, and accidents, while also adding USDA meatpacking inspection data sp…
NICAR has updated its Hazardous Materials database containing Department of Transportation incident reports from 1971 through early 1998, including details on accidental releases d…
The article explains how Access and FoxPro handle Year 2000 date conversion, detailing their different assumptions for two-digit years and recommending data integrity checks when w…
Journalists investigating health care quality can use sampling techniques to efficiently explore large databases and paper records before committing to full data collection, testin…
A journalism investigation into bankruptcy filings in the Tri-County area revealed that most filers were low-income individuals burdened primarily by credit card debt, not the weal…
Wilson highlights resources for accessing toxics information, including the Right-to-Know Network and Environmental Working Group's report on toxics-to-fertilizer practices, while …
This article provides comprehensive guidance on creating accurate campaign databases from paper records, covering essential steps from data gathering and entry through editing, cod…
A guide to building databases for investigative journalism, emphasizing that reporters can use readily available public records and even small datasets to uncover compelling storie…
Visual FoxPro 2.6 users can benefit from upgrading to Visual Fox to access a dedicated datetime data type with built-in functions for easier time and date handling. The article dem…
A detailed investigation by The Dispatch reveals how Ohio's campaign finance laws have been exploited by both state and national political parties, with examples including Senator …
A reference table comparing how popular computer-aided reporting (CAR) applications handle date ranges and two-digit year defaults, showing variations in start dates, end dates, an…
Real estate journalism offers significant opportunities for impactful local reporting, as home values directly affect Americans' largest financial investment and can influence cons…
IRE offers audio tapes from Indiana CAR conferences, maintains multiple mailing lists for journalists, and provides access to databases including IRS exempt organization records an…
Cold Fusion is middleware software that allows journalists to query databases through web browsers instead of specialized database software, making data more accessible to newsroom…
Before requesting government data, journalists must understand file layouts, data formats, and delivery mediums to avoid costly delays and technical obstacles. The article outlines…
Microdata refers to individual-level records from surveys that allow journalists to perform unique cross-tabulations and uncover news stories, though working with it requires prope…
The Miami Herald's 1997 investigation into Miami police officers fraudulently adding their names to arrest reports to collect court overtime led to the largest disciplinary action …
A journalist recounts the two-and-a-half-year investigation into the death of an infant at a military hospital, using databases and FOIA requests to uncover systemic issues with mi…
New York Times journalists investigate Columbia/HCA Hospital Corp.'s questionable business practices and use computer-assisted analysis of 30 million medical billing records to det…
This newsletter announces updates to computer-assisted reporting resources, including new CAR project listings, upcoming IRE and NICAR training events, recently acquired databases …
This article outlines best practices for investigative journalism, emphasizing the importance of identifying a single overarching theme to organize complex reporting, crafting comp…
Reporters using statistics must go beyond finding correlations to establish causation, but this is challenging without controlled experiments and complete data sets. The article pr…
Campaign contributions become newsworthy when journalists dig deeper than donation amounts alone, examining financial disclosures, committee assignments, and industry-wide spending…
The article examines the shift from FoxPro to Microsoft Access in newsrooms for computer-assisted reporting, with journalists debating the merits of each database software for data…
The IRE Resource Center maintains a library of over 12,000 investigative stories, with examples showcasing investigations into voter fraud including felons voting, duplicate votes,…
A guide to using the National Bridge Inventory database for investigative journalism on bridge conditions, explaining key data fields like sufficiency ratings and status codes whil…
A tutorial on writing a FoxPro program to automatically clean up data by standardizing character columns to uppercase and left-aligned formatting, using a scan loop and lookup tabl…
A Houston newsroom used computer-assisted reporting to analyze Texas sex offender registration data, creating a searchable database and pamphlet to help viewers identify registered…
A Nashville newsroom's data analysis of speeding tickets uncovered a vehicular homicide that had fallen through the cracks, leading to the indictment of chronic speeder Corey Jenki…
Mark Lagerkvist of News 12 Long Island conducted a six-month computer-assisted investigation into pension plan theft, analyzing 6 gigabytes of government data to uncover systemic w…
An investigative reporter used data analysis to expose that Ohio's Bureau of Worker's Compensation significantly understated the average time between injury claims and payment, dis…
A journalist investigates ambulance response times in Durham, North Carolina by obtaining and analyzing a government database, demonstrating how data journalism can uncover informa…
The Virginian-Pilot investigated campaign contributions from a nondescript Virginia Beach office building and uncovered how businessman Edward S. Garcia Sr. funneled nearly $200,00…
Health care reporters have access to numerous public data sources including hospital discharge databases, financial records, Medicare reports, insurance payouts, and physician disc…
NICAR has released an updated OSHA database spanning 1974-1997 containing workplace safety information organized into four relatable tables, with experienced computer-assisted repo…
This article explains how to convert date information stored as character strings in Access databases into proper date data types using a two-step process involving string function…
A new journalist uses database management skills learned at NICAR training to help organize and analyze standardized test score data from Montana schools, enabling the newspaper to…
KCBS-TV Los Angeles conducted a computer-assisted investigation of restaurant health inspections, discovering that many establishments hadn't been inspected regularly and that low-…
Investigative reporters analyzed USDA inspection data and found that meat and poultry plants repeatedly cited for critical violations are rarely shut down by the agency, with one T…
A North Carolina TV station analyzed restaurant health inspection databases and found significant inconsistencies in grading systems, with restaurants receiving 'A' ratings despite…
Gannett News Service conducted a database investigation revealing that private groups spent nearly $8 million on over 5,100 congressional trips between 1996-1997, with findings sho…
Joel Grover discusses the impact of an investigative series on restaurant conditions in L.A., revealing widespread sanitary issues and prompting legal changes.
NICAR provides access to a comprehensive collection of federal government databases covering topics from safety and health to finance and crime, enabling journalists to investigate…
Journalists must overcome their fear of mathematics and learn essential numerical skills like calculating percentages, percent changes, and per capita rates to accurately report on…
The Philadelphia Inquirer discovered errors in Pennsylvania crime statistics after initially misreporting a 17 percent crime decrease in Delaware County, leading them to conduct a …
A journalist recounts nearly making a critical mathematical error in analyzing mortgage data, revealing how computer tools can mask journalists' fundamental weakness with numbers a…
NICAR announces upcoming campaigns on finance information, expanded seminars and conferences for journalists, including an annual March conference in Indianapolis with specialized …
NICAR maintains an extensive collection of federal government databases spanning multiple agencies and decades, covering topics from aviation safety and medical device complaints t…
NICAR has expanded its database library with new aviation and health datasets including FAA enforcement records and NTSB accident data, while updating existing collections on trans…
A step-by-step guide to using FoxPro programming to match and merge data from two database tables, specifically matching neighborhood names from a lookup table to loan records base…
NICAR offers computer-assisted reporting classes designed specifically for sports reporters, focusing on data analysis techniques like understanding averages versus medians and app…
The Daily Oklahoman uses FoxPro to automate sports statistics processing, reducing the time spent on prep football standings and basketball reports from eight hours to 30 minutes p…
A Minneapolis Star-Tribune computer-assisted reporting project analyzed Minnesota DNR enforcement data from 1987-1994, revealing a 28.2% drop in citations despite increased outdoor…
The Kansas City Star used eight databases including NCAA-provided data on graduation rates and legislative votes to investigate the role of money in college sports, learning valuab…
This issue highlights investigative reporting in sports, focusing on coaching salaries in Texas high schools and NCAA's role in college sports finances. It discusses the AP's local…
NICAR provides access to a comprehensive collection of federal government databases covering topics ranging from transportation safety and healthcare to campaign finance and crime …
The article provides practical guidance on managing paper-to-database data entry using Microsoft Access, emphasizing the importance of tracking data entry through automated sequenc…
NICAR provides access to a comprehensive collection of federal government databases covering topics from transportation safety and healthcare to campaign finance and crime statisti…
A Minneapolis Star-Tribune reporter used birth records database and Microsoft Access to analyze trends in parental ages in Minnesota, discovering that parents are having children l…
This article explains how to use Windows NT 4.0's AT command scheduler to automate data processing tasks like running FoxPro during off-hours, allowing more time for analysis and r…
A journalist describes their first experience using spreadsheet software to analyze six years of Dare County tourism tax data on an extremely tight deadline, discovering that fall …
Journalists can use statistical significance tests, particularly chi-square tests, to determine whether patterns in data like employment discipline differences represent real trend…
The Gazette in Colorado Springs conducted a reader survey of over 4,000 responses to identify the most and least popular comics, using Microsoft Access and Excel to analyze prefere…
Pet license data analysis is a popular and accessible first computer-assisted reporting project for journalists, offering quick stories that generate significant reader interest an…
NICAR provides access to a comprehensive collection of federal government databases covering topics from aviation and crime to healthcare and finance, enabling journalists to inves…
This column demonstrates how to use string functions in Access to split fields, building on similar techniques previously covered for FoxPro, a practical skill for anyone working w…
A journalist questions the methodology of adjusting home prices for inflation, arguing that housing prices shouldn't be adjusted using traditional inflation measures since homes ar…
This IRE conference handout guide provides education reporters with computer-assisted reporting (CAR) techniques to investigate and compare school district data, including demograp…
A reporter used data analysis to uncover that Hispanic and Native American students had the largest representation gap compared to educators, rather than Black students as initiall…
Baltimore Sun reporters discovered that disadvantaged schools with the lowest test scores and highest poverty rates are staffed disproportionately with inexperienced teachers, limi…
Detroit Free Press reporters obtained salary data for over 22,000 Detroit Public School employees to investigate principals earning extra compensation for after-school activities a…
An analysis revealed that Cincinnati's public schools are struggling to retain middle-income families, leading to a disproportionate number of low-income students in public schools…
Journalists across multiple newsrooms have uncovered significant issues in public school systems, including middle-income student exodus, uncertified substitute teachers, unequal t…
NICAR provides access to numerous federal government databases covering topics ranging from medical devices and aviation safety to campaign finance and small business loans, enabli…
The article provides practical methods for journalists to conduct meaningful investigative stories in limited time on topics like education achievement gaps, population trends, and…
This article explains how to perform basic data manipulation tasks like updating and deleting records in both Access and FoxPro databases, comparing the syntax and safety features …
Reporters at the Omaha World-Herald used regression analysis to evaluate school effectiveness by comparing actual test scores to predicted scores based on student demographics, the…
A newsroom implements computer-assisted reporting (CAR) at The Free Lance-Star to investigate local issues through data analysis, resulting in investigations into police chases, la…
A University of Tennessee journalism class partnered with the LaFollette Press newspaper to produce an eight-page special report on Campbell County schools using state education da…
A journalist's computer-assisted reporting project on tax abatements revealed flawed data, but the setback led to a comprehensive five-part series exposing how local municipalities…
Journalists at small newspapers are forming computer-assisted reporting networks to share training, data, and resources, with examples including CARwash in Washington state and sim…
Loraine Anderson discusses how the Traverse City Record-Eagle manages computer-assisted reporting with limited resources, sharing tips for small newspapers.
NICAR provides access to a comprehensive collection of federal government databases covering aviation, transportation, finance, health care, and crime data from the 1970s through 1…
The San Jose Mercury News applied the USA Today Index of Ethnic Diversity to analyze population changes in their region, using a probability-based formula to measure how diverse di…
The National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting is expanding its databases and data analysis services for journalists, offering access to government records on health, safet…
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette developed a straightforward methodology for ranking schools by combining multiple quality indicators like test scores, teacher training, and diversity…
The Charlotte Observer conducted a data-driven investigation using state databases to reveal widespread child abuse and neglect in North Carolina day cares, finding that over 100 c…
Plain Dealer reporters investigated FDA inspection records spanning two decades and found that more than half of drug experiments lacked adequate informed consent from human subjec…
NICAR offers a comprehensive collection of federal government databases covering aviation, crime, finance, safety, and infrastructure for investigative journalism research, with da…
This article outlines practical ways journalists can use spreadsheets to investigate and analyze public records, including employee payroll data, workplace injuries, budget allocat…
This article explains how to use FoxPro batch files and SQL queries to automate repetitive data processing tasks, specifically demonstrating how to add and modify table fields with…
A journalist describes using databases, mailing lists, and online communities to research fisheries management, discovering that regulatory efforts consistently lagged behind fish …
This column explains three statistical methods—relative risk, odds ratios, and attributable risk—for extracting meaningful insights from crosstab data, using C-section rates among …
The Palm Beach Post discovered that Florida's 1996 crime statistics were significantly flawed because the state included police departments that failed to submit reports or submitt…
An investigation into the global status of fisheries by The Times-Picayune exposed alarming trends and the effects of market pressures on fish populations. This led to the Pulitzer…
The Seattle Times investigation into HUD's Indian housing program uncovered corruption and mismanagement, showing that funds for low-income housing were being misused. The series p…
A newsletter from the CHANCE Course Project at Dartmouth examines how statistics are used and misused in journalism and publications, offering abstracts of recent articles and avai…
NICAR maintains a comprehensive collection of federal government databases covering aviation, transportation, finance, health, crime, and safety data, available for investigative j…
The article highlights free government data sources from the 1990s that provide demographic information at the county level, including population estimates, migration patterns, and…
IRE received a $342,000 grant from the Joyce Foundation to create an online Campaign Finance Information Center that will serve as a repository of federal, state, and municipal cam…
This article guides journalists on finding, interpreting, and using statistics responsibly to provide context and depth to their reporting, while warning against the misuse of data…
Journalists increasingly use statistics and data analysis tools like crosstabs to report stories based on comprehensive records rather than surveys, requiring different analytical …
A correction is provided for the Gini coefficient formula used in February's lead story, detailing the proper mathematical calculation with cumulative proportions of households and…
A North Carolina newspaper used computer databases and Excel to identify and interview voters in specific precincts to gain deeper insight into a contentious school board race invo…
Nora Paul's column highlights internet resources for finding statistics, while journalists on the NICAR-L listserv recommend various statistics books and tools useful for reporters…
This guide explains how to properly analyze population data in computer-assisted reporting, emphasizing the importance of visualizing data through plots and calculating basic descr…
An investigation reveals that some hospital transplant programs secretly turned away donor organs matched to waiting patients without disclosing this to patients, who mistakenly be…
NICAR provides access to a comprehensive collection of federal government databases covering aviation, transportation, crime, finance, health care, and safety records, useful for i…
This article provides sports journalists with five data-driven reporting ideas to improve coverage, including analyzing play-by-play statistics, tracking athletic spending and Titl…
A Palm Beach Post investigation uncovered massive overspending in the school district's cafeteria division, revealing that the district paid exorbitant prices for items like busine…
This tech tip explains how to use database functions in Access and FoxPro to determine the day of the week from date fields, allowing journalists to analyze patterns like which wee…
A journalism graduate describes his early career at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch as a newsroom researcher, sharing lessons learned from data-driven reporting projects on topics rang…
Graduate journalism students used computer-assisted reporting to analyze Maryland voter registration data from 1988-1996, discovering a dramatic shift away from the two major parti…
A college journalist used computerized police records, mortgage data, and census information to debunk persistent negative stereotypes about Lincoln's Malone neighborhood, revealin…
A newsroom explains how they build and maintain comprehensive crime databases from police departments and government agencies, then use data analysis to identify trends, track crim…
NICAR offers a comprehensive collection of federal government databases covering transportation safety, financial records, crime statistics, and regulatory compliance data from var…
FoxPro's DELETE TAG feature can be used as a marking system to identify and filter records in a table without adding columns, allowing journalists to sort and categorize data like …
A local news team used computer-assisted reporting to investigate funding disparities in school field trips across six districts, finding that similar-sized districts spent varying…
The Census Bureau is a valuable ongoing source of data for journalists beyond its decennial headcount, offering accessible information on demographics, housing, business, and socia…
A journalist used the Fatal Accident Reporting System database to investigate whether fatal crashes involving older drivers were increasing disproportionately in New Jersey, compar…
J.J. Thompson explores income inequality using the Gini coefficient to analyze income data, showing the growing gap between different economic classes.
NICAR provides access to a comprehensive collection of federal government databases covering aviation, transportation, finance, health, crime, and safety records for investigative …
The Sun-Sentinel analyzed 70,000 pawn slips from Fort Lauderdale in 1995 to investigate the link between pawnshops and property crime, finding that 39 of the top 50 frequent pawner…
A technical tip explaining how to use FoxPro's 'copy structure extended' command to document database layouts and create data dictionaries.
A Gannett newspaper series utilized a state transportation database to reveal that heavy school buses and commercial trucks were routinely violating weight limits on aging bridges.
This article lists various CD-ROM resources available to journalists for backgrounding people, researching government budgets, analyzing crime statistics, and mapping locations.
The article provides journalists with valuable online resources for background research on people and businesses, including tools maintained by news researchers and prospect resear…
George Landau, formerly of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, has founded NewsEngin, Inc., a company offering affordable database applications and web-based tools for organizations. The …
NICAR provides access to a comprehensive collection of federal government databases covering aviation safety, elections, healthcare, transportation accidents, crime statistics, and…
A journalist used NASA's Air Safety Reporting System database to uncover near-miss airplane incidents at Newark Airport, demonstrating how this anonymous reporting system can revea…
An investigation by The Oklahoman reveals that Oklahoma City's police fleet has significantly higher repair costs and mileage than comparable cities, with some vehicles accumulatin…
A guide to learning FoxPro string functions through hands-on experimentation, using the practical example of splitting name fields separated by commas to help journalists master co…
The American Medical Association website now features a searchable database where users can look up doctors' addresses and basic credentials through the AMA Health Insight section.
Journalists investigating emergency medical services should examine whether paramedics are deployed on fire trucks and consult ER doctors and the American Heart Association, while …
A report on EMT response times in Hillsborough County, Florida, reveals the EMS system's failures in meeting national goals, influenced by computer-assisted reporting techniques.
Cleveland Plain Dealer reporters discovered that Level II hospitals were illegally accepting severely premature babies to increase profits, resulting in significantly higher death …
A series titled 'Vital Signs' investigates the health of New Jersey hospitals, spurring significant discussion and action within the state's medical establishment.
A new hands-on seminar scheduled for January 24-26 will teach advanced database skills including data cleanup, database design, and front-end construction for experienced database …
NICAR offers a comprehensive collection of federal government databases covering transportation safety, finance, health care, crime statistics, and regulatory compliance, with data…
A Gannett Newspapers analysis of 2,175 personal ads from northern New York City suburbs reveals that men and women continue to approach dating with fundamentally different prioriti…
California journalists face significant challenges accessing government data due to inconsistent policies across agencies, unclear laws regarding electronic records, and privacy co…
Journalists face significant obstacles when attempting to obtain electronic records and databases from government agencies, which often cite prohibitive fees, privacy concerns, and…
The article discusses the impact and criticisms of the 1996 Electronic Freedom of Information Act Amendments, which formalize public access to federal electronic records.
The newsletter introduction outlines the issue's focus on FOIA battles, leadership changes at IRE and NICAR, and electronic record access issues.
NICAR provides access to a comprehensive collection of federal government databases covering topics including campaign finance, healthcare, transportation safety, crime statistics,…
A guide for journalists on using basic mathematics, particularly percentages and percent change, to accurately report numerical information in news stories, with practical examples…
This article explains how to use custom FoxPro functions (DateTime, DateTimeDiff, and Hours) to calculate elapsed time between two date-time combinations, which is useful for analy…
Fresno Bee reporters analyzed California test scores against socioeconomic factors, finding that some schools with disadvantaged students outperformed wealthier districts, challeng…
A San Francisco Chronicle investigation using database analysis revealed that the INS rarely punishes employers who hire undocumented immigrants, with over 7,000 cases resulting in…
This article provides a comprehensive guide to online environmental resources and databases, including government agencies like the EPA, nonprofit organizations like CNIE, and spec…
In 1994, Times-Picayune reporters Mark Schleifstein, John McQuaid, and Bob Marshall investigated troubled Gulf of Mexico fisheries using computer-assisted reporting and internet re…
A reference list of chemical compounds known to damage reproductive organs, with their CAS numbers and names, that may not be fully tracked in Toxic Release Inventory data.
This article lists 48 cancer-causing chemicals reported in the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) data for Missouri and Kansas in 1994, providing CAS numbers and chemical names for refe…
The EPA's Toxic Release Inventory database provides accessible, detailed information on chemical emissions from companies nationwide, making it an excellent resource for computer-a…
A journalist investigates bird deaths at California wind farms, discovering that nearly 680 birds of prey were killed over three years, with deaths increasing annually despite the …
Newsday conducted a computer-assisted analysis of New York lottery data to reveal that gambling disproportionately affects low-income residents, while the Miami Herald seeks a lead…
NICAR provides access to a comprehensive collection of federal government databases covering topics including campaign finance, health care, transportation safety, crime statistics…
The National Fire Information Reporting System is a comprehensive database containing detailed fire incident data, but its complexity, manual data entry errors, and inconsistencies…
The National Fire Information Reporting System is available through the National Technical Information Service for $1,265, covering data through 1994. NICAR may consider acquiring …
David Migoya explains how he used the National Fire Information Reporting System (NFIRS) to investigate fire statistics, land baron ownership, and the effectiveness of smoke detect…
Richard Mullins provides technical instructions on how to use SQL keywords and functions in Microsoft Access and FoxPro to retrieve top-ranked data results.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune education team successfully used spreadsheets on a tight deadline to analyze and compare eighth-grade test scores across 300 school districts.
NICAR provides access to a comprehensive collection of federal government databases covering topics including campaign finance, healthcare, transportation safety, crime statistics,…
Neil Reisner provides a curated list of essential online resources and websites for business reporters. The list includes financial data providers, government agencies, and useful …
This technical guide outlines the key differences between FoxPro and Microsoft Access for journalists. It explains database object management, syntax variations in SQL, and the ben…
Journalists in Virginia used a FoxPro database to correlate lobbyist-funded meals with legislative voting schedules. The investigation highlighted a significant loophole in state d…
A journalist investigates the Federal Maritime Commission's claim that a shipping cartel agreement would save importers and exporters $65 million, discovering the agency based this…
The Sarasota Herald-Tribune used HMDA data to investigate racial disparities in home lending, debunking bank claims of improved performance. The study showed that despite aggressiv…
An investigation in Philadelphia revealed that SBA loans were disproportionately awarded to businesses in wealthier neighborhoods rather than struggling communities. The reporter u…
This article provides a comprehensive list of story ideas and methodologies for business reporters to use computer-assisted reporting (CAR). It covers the use of spreadsheets, data…
NICAR provides access to a comprehensive collection of federal government databases covering topics including election contributions, healthcare, transportation safety, crime stati…
A comprehensive guide to free, searchable online databases available to newsrooms, including telephone directories, business listings, legal databases, mapping tools, and specializ…
Drew Sullivan of the Associated Press highlights NameBase, a free research tool from Public Information Research that indexes names from various sources covering topics like CIA ac…
The article provides practical tips for efficiently loading tape data into a PC database program, emphasizing the importance of thorough testing to catch formatting errors before p…
An education reporter conducts her first CAR project analyzing employment data from Dutch universities, discovering that while cutting expenses, university boards ironically increa…
Robin Rowland recommends a Canadian database that tracks hazardous waste generators, carriers, and receivers across the Canada-U.S. border, noting data quality issues with U.S. ent…
The Database of Databases project aims to help Canadian journalists and academics access government and organizational databases for computer-assisted reporting, addressing challen…
A Montreal Gazette intern reporter won an access to information case against the City of Montreal in 1995, forcing them to release a construction permits database by arguing that e…
Danish journalists Nils Mulvad and Flemming Svith are working to increase access to government electronic databases in Denmark, where strict data access laws currently restrict inf…
A journalism resource guide explaining challenges in accessing international data electronically and recommending key U.S. government sources including the Census Bureau, State Dep…
NICAR provides access to a comprehensive collection of federal government databases covering topics including campaign finance, healthcare, transportation safety, crime statistics,…
The Federal Railroad Administration provides downloadable databases on train accidents, casualties, and grade-crossing incidents that journalists can use to investigate railroad sa…
TRAC's IRS criminal enforcement website offers four main navigation options including roadmaps, data graphics, downloadable datasets, and topic-based, district-based, or comparativ…
Journalists can develop airline safety indices using FAA data to help predict crashes and measure relative safety across carriers, moving beyond simple rankings to create meaningfu…
Journalists covering the ValuJet plane crash used FAA databases and aviation records to investigate the accident, but encountered challenges including data quality issues, inconsis…
NICAR instructor Richard Mullins emphasizes that all databases contain flaws and errors, such as data entry mistakes by government workers and incomplete information that even skil…
A correction by the Atlanta Constitution Journal highlights the risks of computer-assisted reporting, as the newspaper incorrectly ranked Atlanta's violent crime rate first when it…
A Syracuse University research group analyzed IRS criminal prosecution data and found that taxpayers in some American communities face charges at dramatically different rates, thou…
The U.S. Census of Governments surveys over 85,000 governmental bodies including states, counties, cities, and various taxing districts, collecting data on debt, property values, r…
This newsletter highlights IRE journalism contest winners, available government census data for investigative reporting, staff promotions at NICAR, IRS criminal prosecution dispari…
NICAR offers a comprehensive collection of federal government databases covering campaign finance, healthcare, transportation, crime, loans, and other areas from various agencies, …
Orange County Register reporters uncovered illegal egg transfers at a fertility clinic without patients' consent, using creative investigative techniques including database constru…
An investigative journalist uncovers that Circle K's advertised partnership to sell UNOCAL 76 gasoline was misleading, as the gas was actually still coming from the same non-UNOCAL…
Kansas City reporters investigated suburban sprawl and found that many homes in the metro area failed to keep pace with inflation between 1980-1990, while also discovering systemic…
A Pulitzer Prize finalist investigation by Dayton Daily News reporters revealed that the U.S. military systematically shielded hundreds of sex offenders, including child molesters,…
The Chicago Reporter created a custom database to track hate crimes in Chicago, revealing trends and failures in state data collection.
Two-day journalism seminars offering panel discussions and hands-on training in spreadsheet and database skills are being held at seven locations across the United States in May an…
NICAR provides a comprehensive collection of federal government databases covering campaign finance, healthcare, transportation, crime, loans, and other public records available fo…
A guide to resources for calculating and understanding inflation rates, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics tools, comparative inflation analysis methods, and salary and …
This article provides a comprehensive guide to online resources for learning statistics, including educational websites, courses, software tools, and reference materials designed s…
This article provides a step-by-step guide for downloading and parsing columnar text files from the Census Bureau website into Excel, explaining how to use Excel's Text Import Wiza…
Jim Morris recounts his experience utilizing Federal Railroad Administration safety databases to identify hazardous railroad crossings.
Carnegie Mellon University's Statistics Department offers reporters a comprehensive resource for learning data analysis through real-world examples, including sports statistics, pu…
Neill Borowski explains how to use 'location quotients' to measure industry concentration in local economies compared to national averages.
Jeff Green of The Oakland Press built his own crime database by collecting data directly from 60 local police departments in Oakland County, finding it cleaner and more accurate th…
Philip Meyer recommends essential statistics and data analysis books for journalists, and provides instructions for subscribing to online discussion forums for SAS and SPSS softwar…
The article recommends that computer-assisted reporting specialists learn statistical analysis software like SAS or SPSS despite their high cost and steep learning curve, due to th…
This article provides a comprehensive overview of how statistical techniques like linear regression and logistic regression can be applied to journalistic investigations.
The article highlights publicly available newspaper databases on websites, including school databases from various news organizations, and invites readers to share additional examp…
NICAR provides access to a comprehensive collection of federal government databases covering transportation accidents, financial transactions, crime statistics, and regulatory comp…
This article teaches journalists how to convert improperly formatted date data in FoxPro databases into proper date columns that enable calendar calculations and date-based queries…
NICAR has added Postgres95, a free relational database manager, to its website as a backend SQL server that offers advantages over single-user systems like Access and FoxPro for mu…
KPNX investigated lead paint hazards in Phoenix by analyzing Census data to identify ZIP codes with the highest percentage of older homes built before 1978, then tested playgrounds…
Radio reporters at NPR and WBUR use computer-assisted reporting (CAR) and spreadsheets to analyze numerical data for campaign finance and political stories, translating complex num…
The National Inventory of Dams reveals critical infrastructure vulnerabilities, with nearly half of flood deaths in Georgia linked to dam failures and a significant portion of U.S.…
This article highlights two investigative journalism projects by KSTP-TV using Computer-Assisted Reporting (CAR) techniques: one exposing unlicensed home remodelers defrauding Minn…
A Dateline NBC investigation reveals that thousands of aging American dams pose serious safety risks to nearby communities, with many lacking proper emergency plans and regular ins…
A guide to useful websites for learning about and working with geographic information systems (GIS), ranging from beginner resources to professional tools and data sources.
The FEC has launched a free internet service providing public access to campaign finance data including candidate information, downloadable databases, and historical election cycle…
NICAR provides access to a comprehensive collection of federal government databases covering transportation safety, financial transactions, crime statistics, and regulatory complia…
This collection of scholarly sources documents the evolution of computer technology adoption in newspaper journalism, from early database utilization in the 1980s through computer-…
A 1995 survey of newsroom computer-assisted reporting (CAR) software usage reveals that Xy Write dominated word processing, Excel led spreadsheets, Paradox was preferred for databa…
Maptitude is an affordable mapping software offering extensive U.S. and world geographic data with Census information, though it has limitations including no Mac version, lower map…
CIESIN is a free online repository offering detailed census maps and demographic data that can be imported into Atlas GIS, with step-by-step instructions for downloading map files …
Desktop mapping software is becoming an increasingly valuable tool for journalists conducting computer-assisted reporting, allowing them to visualize geographic patterns in data th…
A guide to using the Internet for campaign coverage, highlighting key websites and resources for issue backgrounds, voting records, and financial disclosures.
New York Daily News reporters investigated the firefighter disability pension system using freedom of information requests and data analysis, revealing that half of ex-firefighters…
Oregon journalists from The Oregonian and Willamette Week partnered with the Center for Responsive Politics to conduct real-time analysis of campaign contributions before the 1996 …
Journalists can build their own databases from hard-copy documents when government agencies won't provide electronic data, using options like professional data-entry services, temp…
A reporter in the U.S. Virgin Islands used computer analysis of court records to expose systemic failures in the criminal justice system, finding that few violent crimes resulted i…
A Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation by Melvin Claxton at the Virgin Islands Daily News exposed systemic failures in the Caribbean territory's criminal justice system by using co…
Campaign finance data provides journalists with rich story opportunities to reveal the disconnect between candidates' public messaging and their actual donor relationships, potenti…
A St. Paul Pioneer Press investigation found that driving instructors in Minnesota have similar or slightly worse traffic violation records compared to the general population, desp…
NICAR provides access to numerous federal government databases covering elections, aviation, finance, crime, transportation, and small business data, with instructions for connecti…
Public records laws written for paper documents are inadequate for the digital age, creating access challenges that fall into three categories: what government agencies cannot do d…
Journalists provide guidance on how to investigate nonprofit organizations for executive enrichment, hidden compensation, and misuse of tax-exempt status through examination of sal…
Jennifer LaFleur, a prominent computer-assisted reporting educator who trained hundreds of journalists at NICAR, has transitioned to a new role as database editor at the San Jose M…
The SEC is considering privatizing EDGAR, its free public database of company financial documents, and is soliciting public input through a survey with an extended deadline of Nove…
Journalists offer practical strategies for analyzing OSHA workplace safety data, including using ZIP codes for location specificity, comparing data with state records to identify g…
OSHA provides four interconnected data tables tracking workplace accidents, hazardous substances, company violations, and site information that can be analyzed together using activ…
Journalists used databases and public records to investigate workplace safety violations and deaths, revealing that OSHA failed to investigate most workplace fatalities and that la…
NICAR provides access to a comprehensive collection of federal government databases covering elections, aviation, finance, crime, safety, transportation, and education for investig…
Journalists debate whether selling databases of government records aligns with their mission and ethical standards, with some arguing it's a legitimate way to distribute informatio…
An AP investigation found that three-quarters of U.S. workplaces where serious accidents occurred had never been inspected by OSHA during the 1990s, with the agency spending more t…
An exploration of how government fines for workplace safety violations often undervalue the loss of life and limb. The article references reports uncovering minimal fines for fatal…
A guide is available from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press on how to access and report on computerized government records at the state and local level.
The Office of Economic Conversion and Information, a joint Pentagon and Commerce Department office, provides resources on military base closures including conversion projects, job …
The El Paso Times analyzed a city employee database to uncover workplace trends, discovering that while city government mirrored the city's ethnic diversity, significant gender dis…
NICAR maintains a comprehensive collection of federal government databases covering elections, aviation, finance, crime, and other sectors available to journalists for investigativ…
Microsoft Access is gaining popularity in newsrooms as a database management tool for computer-assisted reporting, offering a simpler query interface than competitors like FoxPro a…
The Asbury Park Press investigated banking discrimination in New Jersey by analyzing branch locations against commercial business data, finding that minority communities had signif…
Dayton Daily News reporters Russell Carollo and Cheryl Reed uncovered that hundreds of military convicts were collecting paychecks while imprisoned, totaling over $1 million monthl…
The Chicago Sun-Times is hiring an experienced computer-assisted reporting journalist with at least three years of experience in data analysis and government database research. Int…
Madison County, Iowa's bridges are aging and in poor condition, with 85 requiring rehabilitation and 59 needing replacement at an estimated cost of $4.5 million, though the famous …
Indiana passed a new public records law that expands access to electronic records held by government agencies and limits fees agencies can charge for providing them. The law, which…
NICAR maintains an extensive collection of federal government databases spanning elections, aviation, finance, crime, and education that journalists can access for investigative re…
The Asbury Park Press analyzed a database of amusement park injuries from New Jersey's Department of Labor, spending months obtaining records from an outdated computer system and m…
The Columbus Dispatch's investigation into municipal court data exposed widespread injustices including illegal jailing of poor people and secret cash deals for drunk drivers, requ…
A journalism newsletter highlighting resources for reporters, including government bulletin boards for tracking piracy and organ transplant data, Commerce Department's consolidated…
This article provides practical guidance for journalists investigating campaign contributions by examining patterns, timing, and connections between donors and candidates to uncove…
The Associated Press Wisconsin bureau used optical scanning technology and custom software to convert paper campaign finance reports into an electronic database, enabling computer-…
A regression analysis of California's 1993-94 legislative session demonstrates that campaign contributions are strong predictors of lawmakers' votes on individual bills, even thoug…
Dedicated to improving coverage of campaign contributions, this issue includes experiences from journalists using technology to handle non-digitized state election records, tips on…
This journalism guide addresses the challenges of covering campaign contributions through computer-assisted reporting, offering practical advice from experienced reporters on digit…
Government agencies including the Census Bureau and FDIC are increasingly making reports and databases available exclusively online to save money and distribute information faster,…
A curated directory of online resources for covering health-care insurance and Medicare policy, including government databases, statistical reports, historical documents, and relev…
The United Network for Organ Sharing, a federally funded non-profit organization, maintains a comprehensive online database providing public access to organ transplant data includi…
Journalists in Florida used databases to expose serious problems in Medicare and Medicaid HMOs, including poor access to care and high patient complaint rates, leading to state inv…
Cleveland Plain Dealer reporters used state birth and death certificate databases to uncover failures in Ohio's system for routing high-risk pregnancies and premature infants to ap…
NICAR provides journalists with access to a comprehensive collection of federal government databases covering elections, aviation, lending, crime, workplace safety, transportation,…
An investigative series by The Hartford Courant explores the state of drinking water in Connecticut, revealing that a significant portion of the population is supplied by systems w…
The Wall Street Journal used computer-assisted reporting to analyze FDIC bank filings and reveal that major banks lend significantly less to small businesses than their advertising…
A guide to adjusting historical dollar amounts for inflation using the Consumer Price Index (CPI), with a simple multiplication method to convert older figures into current dollars…
Philip Meyer, a Pulitzer Prize-winning pioneer of computer-assisted reporting, shares five statistical techniques journalists can use to strengthen their stories, including adjusti…
This article explains three essential mathematical formulas for computer-assisted reporting in journalism: percent change, percent of total, and per capita, with practical examples…
NICAR provides journalists with access to numerous federal government databases covering elections, aviation, mortgages, crime, and other regulatory data for investigative reportin…
Pennsylvania's outdated 1957 public records law fails to address electronic access to government documents, as demonstrated by the Philadelphia Daily News's 18-month legal battle t…
President Clinton's FOIA guidelines and congressional efforts have begun to expand public access to federal electronic records, but significant gaps remain as most government docum…
This article explores how journalists use statistical analysis and computer-assisted reporting to improve accuracy in covering stories, featuring an example of a young researcher a…
Journalists increasingly use statistical analysis and regression techniques to investigate stories and verify claims, moving beyond anecdotes to provide more rigorous and convincin…
Investigative journalists at two major newspapers analyzed birth records to expose how hospitals inadequately care for sick and premature newborns, with Ohio hospitals keeping high…
NICAR provides journalists access to a comprehensive collection of federal government databases including election contributions, aviation records, mortgage disclosure data, and cr…
An investigation into Broward County's seventh-largest school district revealed millions spent on questionable personnel practices, including widespread nepotism, excessive overtim…
An NBC journalist describes a months-long investigation into commuter airline safety using FAA databases, discovering that Mesa Airlines had a decade-long pattern of safety violati…
A New Jersey analysis of over 2,000 public high schools reveals that poverty is the strongest factor correlating with test scores, prompting investigation after the state stopped p…
This newsletter edition of Uplink explores the potential of computer-assisted reporting on educational issues like school segregation and SAT scores, and highlights reporters’ util…
IRE and NICAR staff analyzed 109 years of Punxsutawney Phil's Groundhog Day predictions by digitizing historical newspaper records and discovered that the groundhog sees his shadow…
A survey by University of Miami Professor Bruce Garrison tracks the growing adoption of computer-assisted reporting in U.S. newspapers, while the journalism field experiences perso…
The Miami Herald's investigation of Dade County's criminal justice system used 10 different criminal databases to reveal that convicted felons were significantly less likely to go …
Journalists debate how to properly interpret FBI crime data, particularly regarding which assault categories to include in local crime analyses, with experts emphasizing the import…
NICAR provides journalists access to numerous government databases including election contributions, aviation records, crime statistics, and occupational safety data, along with in…
The Boston Globe's investigation into elevator and escalator safety, enabled by analysis of a state inspection database, revealed that nearly 40 percent of passenger elevators were…
A newspaper investigation into pesticide spray incidents revealed systematic regulatory failures by discovering that government agencies were withholding or underreporting violatio…
Armstrong reveals safety failures in elevators and escalators through data analysis, leading to significant state-level repercussions.
Journalists increasingly analyze crime statistics themselves, but face significant challenges with data accuracy, as demonstrated by errors in FBI crime databases including missing…
Uplink's new monthly column features guidance from journalism experts on using internet resources and public records for investigative reporting, including examples of award-winnin…
NICAR library pricing guide for various government and public databases, including federal firearms records, FEC campaign contributions, crime reports, and other datasets, with cos…
The Cleveland Plain Dealer exposes issues with FAA's Service Difficulty Reports, including missing and inconsistent data regarding airplane maintenance.
Investigation into Delaware's farmland preservation program reveals misuse by wealthy landowners and companies to avoid property taxes.
This month's Uplink newsletter features several examples of computer-assisted reporting (CAR) in journalism, including case studies from newspapers in Delaware, St. Louis, Clevelan…
Uplink highlights recent investigative journalism stories from 1994 that used public records and databases to uncover issues ranging from suicide and elevator safety to parking tic…
NICAR offers journalists access to multiple government databases including FAA incident reports, FBI crime data, Social Security death records, federal contracts, mortgage disclosu…
A guide to efficiently cleaning and standardizing inconsistent data entries in databases using FoxPro queries and keyboard macros, using employee name variations as an example.
Journalists can obtain EPA Toxic Release Inventory databases to analyze industrial pollution patterns in their regions by zip code and facility type using basic database software. …
Environmental reporters can leverage several EPA databases including ERNS, PCS, and AIRS to find enterprise stories about pollution, spills, and industrial compliance, though state…
Environmental reporters can leverage government databases for computer-assisted reporting stories, with examples including investigations into toxic chemical spills and endangered …
A Roanoke Times investigation of city parking ticket records reveals surprising patterns, including numerous dismissed tickets for the mayor's driver and excessive violations by th…
A journalist describes the technical process of analyzing a 1.7 gigabyte parking ticket database, highlighting the importance of reporters conducting their own computer work and de…
The Boston Herald obtained a 3.5 million record parking ticket database and discovered the city had collected over $2 million in overpayments from violators due to errors and poor …
This piece discusses a computer-assisted reporting project that investigated restaurant sanitation in metropolitan Detroit. The project identified hundreds of unsanitary establishm…
A journalism newsletter features multiple articles on computer-assisted reporting applications across different beats, including restaurant inspections, environmental reporting, pa…
The National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) launched a new online gopher service providing access to information from multiple Office of Justice agencies including juve…
NICAR provides access to comprehensive FBI crime statistics from 1994 organized across five detailed databases, along with Federal Death records from the Social Security Administra…
In 1994, CAR reporting concentrated on crime coverage, with notable investigations including the Wisconsin State Journal's examination of crime and socioeconomic factors in Madison…
David Milliron joins Gannett News Services as Special Projects Editor for Computer-Assisted Reporting, where he will coordinate database reporting efforts and provide training to U…
A guide to online newsgroups and mailing lists focused on statistics and social science research, including resources like sci.stat.consult, CUSSNET, STAT-L, and EVALTEN where jour…
An AP team led by Bill Dedman and Richard Mullins used computer-assisted reporting and FEC data to create 25 detailed reports on campaign contributions for 1,300 federal candidates…
Ralph Frammolino discusses the application of computer-assisted reporting (CAR) in creating a detailed jury profile for the O.J. Simpson trial, highlighting the effectiveness of ne…
The FBI will release its 1993 crime statistics in late November, with NICAR planning to be first to obtain the data across five databases covering homicides, property crimes, demog…
The Register's computer-assisted reporting program uses Dell computers running DOS/Windows with FoxPro databases and MapInfo mapping software, led by a single CAR specialist who ha…
Federal agencies continue to restrict public access to electronic records under the Freedom of Information Act despite a Clinton administration policy encouraging disclosure, with …
Asbury Park Press writers Paul D'Ambrosio and Michelle Hill won the 1994 New Jersey Press Association's Business Writing Award for their investigative series on redlining titled 'T…
When average values are skewed by outliers, the median provides a more representative number. This article explains a seven-step process for calculating medians in Paradox 4.0 data…
The article describes several federal databases maintained by the EPA and Department of Health and Human Services that track toxic chemical releases, hazardous waste, asbestos use,…
A New Jersey news investigation used the Social Security Administration's Death Master File to compare against voter registration records, discovering over 400 deceased individuals…
A journalist investigating USAir Flight 427 discovers potentially alarming safety data showing two-thirds of USAir's 737s had reported level 5 service difficulties, but consultatio…
The National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting provided Federal Aviation Administration data on aircraft mechanical problems to multiple news organizations following US Air…
The Charlotte Observer pioneered computer-assisted journalism in 1984 by using mainframe computers to analyze political contributions, and has since expanded this capability to inv…
NICAR offers data transfer services using various media formats and provides access to numerous government databases including FEC contributions, FAA data, and mortgage disclosure …
The News Tribune analyzed drive-by shooting data from Tacoma and Pierce County police using database reporting techniques, discovering approximately 200 incidents over a year rathe…
A Wisconsin newspaper describes how it used computer-assisted reporting and traditional investigative methods to examine urban problems in Madison through a multi-part series calle…
The article highlights a CAR award won by The Olympian for a restaurant inspection database story, announces Illinois criminal justice system profiles for all 102 counties, and rep…
A Pennsylvania newspaper persuaded eight of ten major gubernatorial candidates to provide campaign finance reports on diskette rather than paper, overcoming technical and political…
Database management programs like Paradox often require temporary disk space equal to several times the size of tables being processed, and can fail when configured to use a full d…
A reporter describes the frustrating challenges of computer-assisted reporting at a mid-sized newspaper, particularly their 18-month struggle to obtain electronic records from Lake…
NICAR offers affordable data transfer services for journalists using various media formats and provides access to numerous government databases including FEC contributions, FAA dat…
NICAR is expanding its seminar schedule across multiple locations and growing its database library capabilities, offering data conversion services while encouraging readers to atte…
The Philadelphia Daily News is suing Pennsylvania over access to state payroll records, arguing it's unreasonable for the state to force citizens to purchase expensive paper copies…
Nine-track tapes remain the dominant storage medium for computer-assisted reporting, but alternative technologies like CD-ROMs and tape cartridges are challenging their dominance, …
An investigation into bridge safety using the National Bridge Inventory database found that one in six bridges in the state needs major repairs costing $4.8 billion, with reporters…
The Eastern States Bureau of Land Management is digitizing federal land titles from 13 states onto CD-ROM to preserve historic documents, with a project completion target of 2000 a…
This article explains how to use FoxPro commands like REPLACE and STRTRAN to standardize and clean up data fields such as addresses and city names, removing inconsistencies like pe…
The World Wide Web, developed at CERN, organizes the Internet through hypertext and hypermedia links, with the Mosaic browser making it accessible through a user-friendly graphical…
This article explains how to modify a database extraction program to prompt users for input instead of requiring manual code editing, making it more accessible to less experienced …
The article examines different data storage options for news organizations, comparing traditional tape storage with newer technologies like DAT cartridges and magneto-optical drive…
Sheshunoff Information Services offers Bancpen, a comprehensive database containing geographic and financial data on all bank branches, savings-and-loans, and credit unions, availa…
A journalist uses computer mapping and database analysis to investigate whether banks are underserved in poor neighborhoods, discovering that statistical data initially contradicte…
Reporter David Washburn outlines key pitfalls to avoid when analyzing HMDA mortgage lending data, including proper data cleaning, appropriate tools, and verification strategies.
Reporters across the country are using computer-assisted analysis of Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data to uncover significantly higher loan-denial rates for minorities than white a…
The Wall Street Journal obtained complete EEOC employment data through multiple FOIA requests, revealing that Black workers experienced unique job losses during the 1990-91 recessi…
Journalists face growing resistance and new barriers to accessing government databases, with officials citing privacy and ethical concerns to delay or deny requests that were previ…
The article discusses the efforts and challenges faced by The Eagle-Tribune in Lawrence while conducting a computer-assisted investigation into the Massachusetts Welfare System. Th…
The Eagle-Tribune analyzed dog registration data from 20 communities in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, discovering that Max was the most common dog name overall and uncovering a …
A guide to eliminating duplicate rows in databases by creating a unique identifier field using the REPLACE ALL command with RECNO() function in FoxPro or dBase.
A Wall Street Journal investigation of EEOC employment data from over 40 million workers revealed that Black workers were the only ethnic group to suffer net job losses during the …
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch uses computer-assisted reporting to analyze restaurant health inspection data, revealing that despite high average scores, critical violations are not u…
Journalists already have foundational programming knowledge through SQL and database queries, and can now learn FoxPro programming to automate repetitive data tasks that go beyond …
The Morning Call newspaper has successfully used computer-assisted reporting to produce major investigative stories, including an exposé on a troubled local bank and analysis of mo…
An in-depth examination of violent crime in Tacoma using a database provided by the Law Enforcement Support Agency, highlighting areas of high crime and trends in violence.
The author describes using a nine-track tape drive with Computer Logics software to back up computer data after experiencing system failure, finding the reliable Save and Load util…
Jon Schmid is departing MICAR to join the Raleigh News & Observer as an assistant database editor, with Matt Reavy, a doctoral student, taking over his editorial duties at Uplink a…
Tom Foster at the Syracuse Post-Standard has developed Paradox applications to make data available to newsroom reporters and seeks to connect with other journalists who have worked…
Monarch is a software tool that converts fixed-format printed reports into usable databases and spreadsheets, allowing journalists to extract data from agencies that cannot provide…
Journalists can convert messy print-image files from government agencies into usable databases by using word processing programs or specialized software to automatically remove hea…
The National Law Journal's investigative project revealed that the EPA has enforced environmental protection laws unequally, cleaning up toxic waste sites faster in white communiti…
The Post-Standard in Syracuse has democratized computer-assisted reporting by making data access easy and intuitive for all reporters, enabling daily use of databases for source-fi…
Government agencies are transitioning from nine-track tapes to new storage technologies, with CD-ROMs and automatic tape library systems emerging as the primary alternatives by the…
David Armstrong discusses the challenges and resistance faced when requesting public records in electronic form, highlighting instances where government cost estimates were inflate…
NameBase is a searchable database of over 67,000 names compiled from investigative books and periodicals, specializing in intelligence, foreign policy, and political elites with de…
Reporters from The Cleveland Plain Dealer and The National Law Journal won 1992 IRE awards for investigative reporting using computer-assisted research to expose environmental ineq…
A journalist describes using computer sampling and random simulations to determine whether suspicious settlement disparities among 15 corrupt lawyers in a Missouri workers compensa…
Investigative journalists face challenges with data entry for their stories, as hiring professional services often results in inaccurate work, leaving reporters to spend months ent…
Orange County Register reporter Ronald Campbell analyzed campaign contribution data to identify California's largest soft-money donors during the 1991-92 elections, discovering $13…
The article discusses how the Waterbury Republican-American tackled the challenge of making data accessible to all reporters by equipping them with notebooks and creating user-frie…
The News & Record in Greensboro, North Carolina won a court order to access computerized property tax records from Guilford County after challenging the county's claimed costs and …
Journalists struggle to locate government databases, but a University of Minnesota doctoral candidate is creating a comprehensive directory of Minnesota's 2,000+ state government d…
The article explores the legacy of 'superprogrammers' from the mainframe era who used ingenious but complex data compression techniques, and how modern database systems have largel…
Investigative reporters used computer database matching to uncover serious problems in school systems, including hundreds of convicted felons working as teachers and bus drivers, a…
The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) obtained and transformed the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's massive computerized database into an organized knowledge base to…
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's NUDOCS database is an invaluable free resource containing over 2 million records since 1978 that journalists can access to research radiation in…
A Plain Dealer investigation using Freedom of Information Act requests and the NRC's NUDOCS database uncovered over 40 deaths from medical radiation overdoses that the NRC claimed …
Journalists describe their computer-assisted reporting projects, including a major investigation into San Francisco's AIDS programs using database analysis and a congressional camp…
A major investigative journalism project used spreadsheet analysis of government data to reveal that Connecticut families paid over 50% of their income in taxes, exposing wasteful …
USA Today's attempt to scan 7,500 pages of Congressional spending records proved far more difficult than expected, with scanning technology struggling with small text, formatting i…
The Database Files is a new newsletter that reviews online databases and software useful for journalists, covering lesser-known resources beyond major vendors and featuring in-dept…
This article explains how to eliminate duplicate records in a database using programming languages, comparing the process to manually sorting through papers and removing duplicates…
Los Angeles Times journalist Michael Parrish and computer analyst Richard O'Reilly analyzed 10 years of hazardous material transportation data from the Department of Transportation…
Missouri's public records law caps fees for computer data access to only duplication and staff costs, resulting in much lower prices than states like Texas that allow overhead char…
OSHA DATA is a New Jersey-based service that analyzes Occupational Safety and Health Administration records for insurance companies, offering background checks starting at $195 wit…
This article explains how string functions in database managers and spreadsheets can standardize and match data across different sources by allowing journalists to split, extract, …
Pending legislation to make government data more accessible online through the Government Printing Office has been approved by the House Administration Committee, though commercial…
The News Tribune used computer analysis of campaign finance data to demonstrate that Washington's Initiative-134 would disproportionately harm Democratic candidates by reducing lab…
A Virginia Pilot/Ledger Star investigation used computer analysis of FEC campaign contribution data to demonstrate the correlation between PAC donations and congressional voting pa…
A computer-assisted analysis of FEC records reveals that Republicans raised nearly three times more soft money than Democrats in California through June, with particularly large do…
Reporter Dan Popkey analyzed FEC data to reveal that Republican Senate candidate Dirk Kempthorne raised twice as much money from PACs as his opponent, contradicting his campaign me…
Hispanic political contributions to congressional, presidential, and party candidates have more than tripled over three presidential elections, with a disproportionate amount from …
Computer-assisted journalism investigations across the country analyzed FEC campaign finance records to reveal patterns in political contributions, including Hispanic donor trends,…
Washington state reporters used computer data to uncover government negligence, with taxpayers paying over $76 million in settlements due to employee misconduct.
The 1990 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data contains significant errors in state coding, with Alaska's actual error rate reaching 35 percent due to misclassified Arizona loan applic…
The National Library on Money & Politics provides journalists with processed Federal Election Commission data dating back to 1979, enabling easier access to campaign finance inform…
Hazardous waste manifests provide detailed tracking of toxic materials that can supplement federal TRI data, with about half of U.S. states offering computerized access to these re…
MICAR founder Elliot Jaspin has left the University of Missouri to join Cox Newspapers in Washington, D.C., though he will continue advising the organization. A reporter at the Anc…
A correction to last month's Tech Tips article regarding a database command for handling company name spellings in the BADSPELL database.
A guide for journalists new to computer-assisted reporting on cleaning corrupted business data from diskettes using XYWrite III Plus and XDB database software to prepare files for …
The Association of Public Data Users provides journalists and data professionals with a newsletter and conferences to stay informed about developments in public data, including pol…
U.S. News and World Report used computer-assisted reporting to investigate medical devices through FDA data, discovering significant obstacles including duplicate records and unstr…
A journalist reflects on how technological seduction led him to pursue a lengthy investigation into California bus safety that ultimately yielded no significant story, illustrating…
A database management technique uses the XDB commands Update and Xleft to create a standardized name field by extracting the first portion of company names, allowing grouping and s…
St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporters used computer databases to investigate alleged corruption in Missouri's Worker's Compensation Second Injury Fund, uncovering improper relationship…
A technical guide explaining how to extract specific state records from the Toxic Release Inventory tape while preserving the document control number that links related pollution d…
The Greensboro News & Record uncovered a major bid-rigging scheme where North Carolina dairies defrauded school systems of approximately $8 million between 1982 and 1989 by manipul…
A St. Louis Post-Dispatch investigation reveals that lawyers connected to Missouri Attorney General William L. Webster receive significantly higher settlements from the state's Sec…
Andrew Barron of the Greensboro News & Record won a Wilber Award for a computer-assisted reporting project examining readers' views on sin, combining survey data analysis with inte…
This report challenges the assumption that money rules politics by analyzing campaign donations in Orange County. It reveals that powerful local Democrats contributed significantly…
Uplink issues a correction regarding its previous coverage of the Kansas City Star's Pulitzer Prize-winning USDA investigation, clarifying errors about IRE award wins, technical de…
A tutorial on using SQL to categorize continuous data into ranges, demonstrating how creating a range field and grouping by it is more efficient than repeatedly running queries wit…
A comparison of three popular database management programs—FoxPro, Paradox, and XDB—used in computer-assisted reporting, examining their strengths and weaknesses based on journalis…
A New Jersey journalist created a bank safety ranking system using federal deposit insurance data to ease consumer fears following the 1991 Bank of New England collapse, helping re…
Reporters across the United States are increasingly adopting computer-assisted reporting techniques to conduct investigations and access government databases, with newsrooms like t…
A journalist shares their experience with XDB database software versions 2.30 and 2.41, describing problems with sorting accuracy, computational errors with large numbers, and RAM …
Greg Reeves of the Kansas City Star navigates complex challenges in accessing USDA farm subsidy data, which contributed to the Pulitzer Prize-winning series 'Failing the Grade.' Hi…
Journalists using the XDB database software report significant technical problems including import failures, indexing errors, and inconsistent query results, leading some to switch…
A journalist uncovers how Missouri's Department of Education restricts access to standardized test data through bureaucratic obstacles, preventing even the state itself from analyz…
The Hartford Courant developed a database to investigate unsolved murders of minority women, discovering patterns suggesting a possible serial killer and prompting police attention…
A Minneapolis Star-Tribune investigation found that nearly one-third of rapists who underwent Minnesota's treatment programs were re-arrested within three years, compared to a one-…
Two Ohio newspapers, the Dayton Daily News and Akron Beacon-Journal, simultaneously requested the same massive state drivers records database from the Ohio DMV, each facing signifi…
Investigative reporter Penny Loeb and data analyst Tom Braden have been named co-recipients of the Roy W. Howard Public Service Award for their Newsday series exposing problems in …
A Riverside Press Enterprise reporter used property tax databases to document how California's Proposition 13 creates vast disparities in property taxes between neighbors with comp…
An investigation into Boston Mayor Raymond Flynn's campaign finances reveals that nearly 90% of his identified donors from 1987-89 had direct financial ties to City Hall, including…
Penny Loeb's investigation revealed widespread errors in NYC's tax and billing system, affecting numerous residents with incorrect or missing bills.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporters investigated how the city government distributed $20 million in HUD block grant funds, discovering that funding was not allocated equitably to nei…
The Dallas Morning News uses computer-assisted reporting to analyze death records and identify patterns of teen homicides in impoverished neighborhoods, while also investigating HU…
North Carolina state agencies are blocking public access to government databases through denials, restrictions, and high fees, despite state public-records laws that should apply t…
Orange County Register reporters James Grimaldi and Ron Campbell spent four months negotiating with a California government agency to obtain a database on magnetic tape, facing bur…
Electronic Public Information Consultants, a new Seattle-based company founded by three University of Missouri journalism graduates, offers advanced analysis of government records …
MICAR has released a Reporters Working Guide to the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) that helps journalists download, organize, and analyze EPA pollution data to identify major pollut…
Reporters at the Dayton Daily News investigated DUI cases in Ohio, revealing systematic issues in enforcement and the possibility for repeat offenses even after convictions.
The Boston Herald and other newspapers face challenges with data entry for computer-assisted reporting projects, with some looking into scanners as potential solutions to improve a…
Boston Herald reporters investigating campaign contributions discovered significant challenges with outsourcing data entry, including accuracy issues like duplicate records, incorr…
The Boston Herald and other newspapers are investing in scanning technology to reduce data entry errors and improve efficiency in converting documents to digital formats. While the…
The Dayton Daily News gained direct computer access to Montgomery County records, enabling reporters to quickly investigate property taxes, court documents, and other public filing…
MICAR has released a practical guide helping reporters use the EPA's Toxic Release Inventory database to investigate industrial pollution, with options to purchase the guide alone …
Explores the challenges faced by newsrooms in maintaining control over computer-assisted reporting projects and navigating technical bureaucracy.
The Sacramento Bee uses its mainframe computer system with a VAX network hookup and large hard drive for computer-assisted reporting, allowing multiple staff members to access cens…
St. Petersburg Times reporters used computer-assisted techniques to investigate the abuse of a Florida state statute allowing criminal records to be sealed, uncovering widespread m…
Jimmy Montague offers advice on choosing and maintaining quality computer tapes, addressing common issues like short tape lengths and data write skips, and discussing the impact of…
George Landau discusses the benefits and uses of geographic information systems (GIS) in journalism, highlighting how they can transform raw census data into insightful stories by …
A newsroom used computer analysis to investigate Congressional speaking fees, moving beyond simple totals to identify patterns, top earners, and regional breakdowns that surpassed …
Paul Martin, a young journalist at the Palm Beach Post trained in computer-assisted journalism, finds the newspaper's CAJ program stalled due to recession-driven budget cuts despit…
Connecticut has passed landmark legislation guaranteeing public access to government records stored in computerized form, allowing citizens and news organizations to request data i…
A series on workers' safety, based on OSHA's database, reveals systemic failures in workplace safety regulations and enforcement in Ohio, highlighting minimal penalties for violati…
A new Reporter's Working Guide to the Toxic Release Inventory provides step-by-step instructions for journalists to download, organize, and analyze EPA pollution data to create mea…
Washington D.C. news organizations have access to vast government computer databases but underutilize computer-assisted reporting due to staff constraints, reliance on traditional …
Government agencies are charging exorbitant fees for electronic public records, and journalists can challenge these costs by analyzing the agencies' own computer cost accounting fo…
A four-part series reveals numerous flaws in California's toxic waste monitoring system, including unaccounted waste and regulatory failures.
The San Jose Mercury News responds to criticism in UPLINK's March issue, defending their superior coverage of California census data with more detailed statistics and faster report…
When purchasing data processing services from private companies or state agencies, organizations must carefully compare pricing models, which vary based on CPU time, system usage, …
John Freed discusses the New York Times' investigative series on U.S. banking stability, utilizing federally available data to assess and report on potentially weak banks.
Connecticut journalists used the federal Toxic Release Inventory database to investigate unreported toxic emissions by manufacturers and significant gaps in state environmental pro…
The San Francisco Chronicle achieved detailed reports on the 1990 census data through advanced preparation and computer-assisted techniques, despite unexpected challenges.
The Census Bureau hosted a media seminar at the University of Missouri School of Journalism covering how journalists use census data, including presentations on data trends, produc…
The article describes the challenges faced by Plain Dealer reporters in covering the historical crash of an Emery Worldwide Airlines jet at Cleveland's Hopkins Airport, and how com…
The New York Times uses computer-assisted reporting to analyze large datasets, producing two major investigative stories: one examining campaign contributions to Gov. Cuomo and ano…
A journalist at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch shares his technical toolkit and software recommendations for efficiently managing and analyzing data on personal computers, including d…
An investigation by New York Newsday revealed that the city owes $275 million in tax overpayments to property owners, highlighting the ease of uncovering bureaucratic errors using …
Datacore, launching in January, is an online database service that enables reporters to access government records including Census data and Federal Elections Commission records thr…
The Palm Beach Post's investigation of over 22,000 property records revealed systemic inequities in how the county appraiser assessed homes, with expensive properties undervalued a…
Greg Reeves of the Kansas City Star shares his experiences implementing computer-assisted reporting, discussing the software and hardware challenges he faced, the efficiency gains …
Cleveland Plain Dealer reporters Bill Sloat and Keith Epstein investigated the National Weather Service's accuracy in issuing severe weather warnings after a deadly Ohio flood, dis…
Information about accessing MDR data available through NTIS on 3 reels of tape, with alternative availability through MICAR for $300 due to temporary NTIS closure.
The investigative report reveals a significant number of malfunctions in medical devices, particularly defibrillators manufactured by Physio Control Corp., leading to patient death…
MICAR has expanded its data library with three new datasets from federal agencies, including FAA aircraft malfunction reports and FDA medical device incident records, all available…
The Boston Herald's computer-assisted reporting program has produced investigative studies on Massachusetts polluters and defense contractors, including findings that the state ran…
Crime reporter Scott North of The Herald used computer-assisted reporting and database analysis to investigate drug cases in Snohomish County, uncovering that drug offenders were d…
This article discusses pricing and availability options for 1988 and 1987 TRI (Toxic Release Inventory) data, comparing costs between NTIS and the Missouri Institute for Computer-A…
The Toxic Release Inventory reveals hidden dangers like benzene emissions from industrial plants near residential areas, forcing companies to become more transparent about their po…
A journalist discovers how the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) reveals hidden industrial pollution like benzene emissions from an Ohio steel plant that residents never knew about, an…
George Landau and Tim Novak investigated voter fraud in East St. Louis using computer-assisted methods, uncovering hundreds of names of deceased or fictitious voters registered to …