Theire Journal
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
CONTENTSFEATURES THE IRE JOURNAL 22- 34 TROUBLE IN SCHOOLS FALSE DATA TABLE OF CONTENTS School crime reports discredited; NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2005 official admits ‘we got caught’ By Liz Chandler 4 Hurricanes revive The Charlotte Observer investigative reporting; need for digging deeper NUMBERS GAME By Brant Houston, IRE Reporting of violence varies in schools; accountability found to be a problem 6 OVERCHARGE By Jeff Roberts CAR training pays off in examination and David Olinger of state purchase-card program’s flaws The Denver Post By Steve Lackmeyer The (Oklahoma City) Oklahoman REGISTRY FLAWS Police confusion leads 8 PAY TO PLAY to schools unaware of Money managers for public fund contribute juvenile sex offenders to political campaign coffers to gain favors attending class By Mark Naymik and Joseph Wagner By Ofelia Casillas The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer Chicago Tribune 10 NO CONSENT LEARNING CURVE Families unaware county profiting from selling Special needs kids dead relatives’ brains for private research use overrepresented in city’s By Chris Halsne failing and most violent KIRO-Seattle public high schools By John Keefe 12 MILITARY BOON WNYC-New York Public Radio Federal contract data shows economic boost to locals from private defense contractors LOOKING AHEAD By L.A. Lorek Plenty of questions remain San Antonio Express-News for journalists investigating problems at local schools By Kenneth S. Trump National School Safety and Security Services 14- 20 SPECIAL REPORT: DOING INVESTIGATIONS AFTER A HURRICANE COASTAL AREAS DELUGE OF DOLLARS 36 REPEAT PROBLEMS Resources abound for checking out Tracking money, lawsuits Claims of refinery safety found lacking; pollution, rebuilding efforts, wetlands reveals true cost of storm fatal accidents documented through data By Rhituparna Chatterjee By Catherine Rentz Pernot By Lise Olsen and Amanda Buck The IRE Journal Houston Chronicle The IRE Journal ON TARGET 38 NO JUSTICE STORY TOOLS Hurricane Katrina’s impact predicted Police aid in hiding pedophile priests; Databases deliver punch, details in 2002 Times-Picayune investigation victims dismissed or forgotten for years to natural disaster reporting By Beth Kopine By Michael D. Sallah and Mitch Weiss By Jeff Porter The IRE Journal The (Toledo, Ohio) Blade The IRE Journal FEMA FUNDS 41 Immersion reporting MAPPING Check out where money goes unmasks young offenders Storm questions answered through when disaster strikes your area By Steve Weinberg geographic information systems By Sally Kestin and Megan O’Matz The IRE Journal By David Herzog South Florida Sun-Sentinel The IRE Journal NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2005 3 92180 Story_Print 8.5x11 4/4/05 5:10 PM Page 1 FEATURES ������������������� ���������������� ���������������������� ��������������������� ��������������������������������������� �������������������������������������� �������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������������������� �������������������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������ ���������������������������������������������������� �������������������������������������������������� ����������������� ����������������������������� ���������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������ ��������� ����������������������������������� ��������������������� �������������������������������������� � ��������������������� � ���������������������� ��������������� ���������������������������������� NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2005 3 Publication: IRE Journal FEATURES FEATURES THE IRE JOURNAL FROM THE IRE OFFICES VOLUME 28 NUMBER 6 Hurricanes revive MANAGING EDITOR Anita Bruzzese investigative reporting; ART DIRECTOR Wendy Gray need for digging deeper BRANT HOUSTON SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Steve Weinberg henever anyone questions whether aggressive investigative journalism is necessary for any W free and democratic society, the disasters spawned by hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the CONTRIBUTING LEGAL EDITOR United States will provide the affirmative answer for a long time to come. David Smallman The dazzling coverage of the disasters also will hamper and expose the deep cynicism of the media-bashing politicians, ideologues and corporate public relations hacks who have tried and EDITORIAL INTERN partially succeeded in creating a more timid press. Michelle Dammon Loyalka Consider the outstanding record of our colleagues: • The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune (and NPR, National Geographic and The New York Times) produced plenty of warnings about the flawed levees and the lack of emergency planning for any- thing above a Category 3 hurricane in New Orleans and the nearby coast. (See our special report IRE beginning on page 14.) The Times-Picayune also wrote about federal resources being redirected to Iraq and the war on terrorism. IRE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR • On-the-ground reporting by the press after the hurricanes exposed the magnitude of the disasters Brant Houston and pressured the federal government to respond. BOARD OF DIRECTORS • The press has continued to hold government accountable for its lack of preparation, for the pathetic response by officials – both elected and appointed – and for the free-wheeling purchasing and PRESIDENT contracts. David Boardman, The Seattle Times • In the past four years, the press has written repeatedly about deteriorating infrastructure – roads, bridges, dams and levees in the United States – that presents as great a threat as a terrorist attack. VICE PRESIDENT Of course, government officials ironically were shutting down access to data about the frailty Duane Pohlman, WEWS-Cleveland of the infrastructure because of their concerns of possible use by terrorists. (Especially ironic TREASURER because that data had been available on the Web or through electronic sources for so long that Cheryl Phillips, The Seattle Times the proverbial horse was long out of the barn.) We can only hope this revival of great watchdog journalism is no passing phase and the SECRETARY momentum will lead us into a new era of investigative stories. At the same time, despite the staff Stephen C. Miller, The New York Times cuts throughout the mainstream press, there are additional signs of a new fervor: • Some bloggers, who are not political operatives or those who have less-than-candid agendas, are Paul Adrian, KDFW-Dallas/Fort Worth showing passion and zest for revealing untruths and are seeking journalistic training. Citizens Stephen K. Doig, Arizona State University with non-journalism jobs are disturbed enough by the lack of news coverage in their communities James V. Grimaldi, The Washington Post that they are jumping into the information fray. • The nonprofit centers in investigative reporting and innocence projects are flourishing. Andy Hall, Wisconsin State Journal • Radio investigative stories thrive as NPR and American RadioWorks consistently produce in- Dianna Hunt, Fort Worth Star-Telegram depth pieces. Mark Katches, The Orange County Register • A network of journalists has formed in the spirit of IRE’s Arizona Project to investigate the environ- Shawn McIntosh, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ment in Russia that allowed the assassination of Forbes editor Paul Klebnikov in Moscow. (For fur- Deborah Sherman, KUSA-Denver ther information, see page 5 and an overview piece at http://mediachannel.org/blog/node/1150.) Nancy Stancill, The Charlotte Observer And as always, the ever-diminishing mainstream staffs at newspapers and television stations still find ways to do enterprise and investigative work. Further, many news organizations are real- izing that aggressive, investigative reporting is what distinguishes good journalism from shills and pseudo-news people. The IRE Journal (ISSN0164-7016) is published At the same time, investigative journalists throughout the world are forging ties and building six times a year by Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc. 138 Neff Annex, Missouri School of new networks. For example, the recent Global Investigative Journalism Conference, created by Journalism, Columbia, MO 65211, 573-882-2042. IRE and the Danish group DICAR, attracted more than 400 journalists from at least 30 countries E-mail: [email protected]. U.S. subscriptions are to Amsterdam last month. $70 for individuals, $85 for libraries and $125 Despite the traumatic transformation the news media is going through, every sign points to a for institutions/businesses. International sub- scriptions are $90 for individuals and $150 for renewed spirit among those outraged by injustices, dangerous incompetence or the abuse of the all others. Periodical postage paid at Columbia, weak and poor. MO. Postmaster: Please send address changes For investigative journalists, it is not a time to despair but a time to go to work. to IRE. USPS #451-670 Brant Houston is executive director of IRE and the National Institute for Computer-Assisted © 2005 Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc. Reporting. He can be reached through e-mail at [email protected] or by calling 573-882-2042. 4 THE IRE JOURNAL NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2005 5 FEATURES I FEATURESR E N E W S 2006 CAR Conference Journalists investigate murder MEMBER NEWS on tap for Newark in March of editor; Greene to consult Next year’s annual Computer-Assisted Report- IRE member Richard Behar is coordinating an oddy Boyd is covering Wall Street and ing Conference is set for March 9-12 in Newark, international alliance