PRELIMINARY SPEAKERSSPEAKERS LISTLIST Helena BengtssonBengtsson,, JenniferJennifer LaFleurLaFleur,, TheThe CenterCenter forfor PublicPublic IntegrityIntegrity TheThe DDallasallas MorningMorning NewsNews Robert BenincasaBenincasa,, GGannettannett NewsNews ServiceService Daniel LaLathropthrop,, SSeattleeattle Post-IntelligencerPost-Intelligencer Megan ClarkClarkee,, AndrewAndrew LehrenLehren,, TheThe NewNew YYorkork TimesTimes TheThe AtlantaAtlanta Journal-Journal-ConstitutionConstitution David MillironMilliron,, SarahSarah CohenCohen,, TheThe WWashingtonashington PostPost TheThe AtlantaAtlanta Journal-Journal-ConstitutionConstitution Chase DaDavisvis,, Houston ChrChronicleonicle Ron NixNixonon,, TheThe NewNew YYorkork TimesTimes Dave DavisDavis,, TheThe ((Cleveland)Cleveland) PlainPlain DDealerealer Paul OverbergOverberg,, UUSASA TodayToday SteveSteve DoigDoig,, ArizArizonaona StateState UniversityUniversity AronAron PilhoferPilhofer,, TheThe NewNew YYorkork TimesTimes David DonaldDonald,, IREIRE andand NICARNICAR JeffJeff PorterPorter,, IREIRE andand NICARNICAR JaimiJaimi DoDowdellwdell,, St.St. LLouisouis Post-DispatchPost-Dispatch AAdamdam ClaytonClayton PowellPowell IIIIII,, Carolyn EddsEdds,, St.St. PPetersburgetersburg (F(Fla.)la.) TTimesimes USCUSC AnnenberAnnenbergg SchoolSchool forfor CommunicationCommunication Alletta EmenoEmeno,, TheThe PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia InquirInquirerer JanetJanet RoberRobertsts,, TheThe NewNew YYorkork TimesTimes Matthew EricsonEricson,, TheThe NewNew YYorkork TimesTimes Adam SymsonSymson,, Robert GebeloffGebeloff ,, E.WE.W.. ScrippsScripps BroadcastBroadcast GroupGroup TheThe (Newark(Newark,, N.J.)N.J.) StarStar-Ledger-Ledger Maurice TammanTamman,, JasonJason GrGrottootto,, TheThe MMiamiiami HeraldHerald SSarasotaarasota (F(Fla.)la.) HerHerald-Tribuneald-Tribune Doug HaddixHaddix,, TheThe CColumbusolumbus DispatchDispatch TomTom TorokTorok,, TheThe NewNew YYorkork TimesTimes Brian HammanHamman,, CColumbiaolumbia MissourianMissourian JodiJodi UptUptonon,, UUSASA TodayToday David HerzogHerzog,, Matthew WaiteWaite,, St.St. PPetersburgetersburg (F(Fla.)la.) TiTimesmes MMissouriissouri SchoolSchool ofof JournalismJournalism MaryJo WebsterWebster,, AAdriandrian HolovatyHolovaty,, TheThe WWashingtonashington PostPost SSaintaint PaulPaul (M(Minn.)inn.) PioneerPioneer PressPress Brant HoustonHouston,, IREIRE andand NICARNICAR JamesJames WWilkersonilkerson,, TheThe NewNew YYorkork TimesTimes DaDavidvid KnoxKnox,, AkAkronron BeaconBeacon JournalJournal Derek WillisWillis,, TheThe WWashingtonashington PostPost PRELIMINARY PANELPANEL LISTLIST Watch www.ire.orgwww.ire.org forfor updates.updates. (Please(Please notnotee thatthat titlestitles andand panelpanel ttopicsopics maymay bebe changedchanged inin thethe fifi nalnal programprogram schedule.)schedule.) •• ApplyingApplying socialsocial networknetwork analysisanalysis toto •• EditingEditing thethe CARCAR story:story: MakingMaking itit singsing andand •• OnlineOnline mapsmaps fforor enterpriseenterprise storiesstories ccommunityommunity investigationsinvestigations aavoidingvoiding wrongwrong notesnotes •• RealReal estatestatee investigationsinvestigations inin CARCAR •• ApplyingApplying socialsocial sciencsciencee methodsmethods ttoo CARCAR •• ExposingExposing ethnicethnic injusticinjusticeses •• SScrapingcraping datadata frfromom governmentgovernment WebWeb sitessites •• AAvoidingvoiding errorserrors inin CARCAR •• FFindinginding datadata onon thethe NetNet •• TheThe latestlatest inin CARCAR andand politicspolitics •• BuildingBuilding thethe newnewsroomsroom intranetintranet •• FOIFOI andand CAR:CAR: SucSuccessfulcessful strategiesstrategies •• TheThe latestlatest inin visualizingvisualizing data:data: MMaps,aps, •• CARCAR andand basicbasic mathmath •• GettingGetting ttouchdownsouchdowns withwith CARCAR inin sporsportsts wwebcams,ebcams, andand socialsocial netnetworkwork analysisanalysis •• CARCAR andand naturalnatural disastdisastersers •• HomelandHomeland securitsecurityy andand CARCAR •• TheThe latestlatest investigationsinvestigations inin CARCAR andand thethe •• CARCAR andand subsidiessubsidies •• HousingHousing scamsscams andand CARCAR enenvironmentvironment •• CARCAR andand thethe AmericanAmerican CCommunityommunity SurveySurvey •• IIntroductionntroduction toto statisticsstatistics •• ThinkingThinking inin CAR:CAR: ApprApproaches,oaches, methodologiesmethodologies •• CARCAR goesgoes intinternationalernational •• LatLatestest toolstools toto collectcollect information:information: RSSRSS andand mormoree andand blendingblending itit withwith traditionaltraditional rreportingeporting •• CitCityy HallHall andand CARCAR •• MMakingaking CARCAR wworkork forfor broadcastbroadcast •• TransportationTransportation storiesstories withwith CARCAR •• CCoveringovering elderlyelderly issuesissues withwith datadata •• MMedicineedicine andand CARCAR •• UnderstandingUnderstanding crimecrime statisticsstatistics andand CARCAR •• CCoveringovering transportationtransportation safetysafety withwith CARCAR •• MMilitaryilitary datadata fforor investigationsinvestigations •• UUsingsing CARCAR ttoo gradegrade youryour schoolschool sysystemstem •• DoingDoing CARCAR inin aa smallsmall newnewsroomsroom •• NarrativNarrativee writingwriting inin CARCAR ininvestigationsvestigations •• UUsingsing federalfederal contractcontract datadata fforor investigationsinvestigations •• EditingEditing inin CARCAR •• NoNo ffear:ear: AnAn ooverviewverview ofof CARCAR andand hohoww toto getget •• UUsingsing wikiswikis andand blogsblogs inin ininvestigationsvestigations starstartedted •• WorkerWorker safetysafety andand CARCAR CONTENTSFEATURES THE IRE JOURNAL 20 - 33 ENERGY AND UTILITES TABLE OF CONTENTS 21 INCREASING DEMAND FOR POWER REQUIRES JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2007 CLOSER LOOK AT NUCLEAR ENERGY INDUSTRY By Garry Lenton 4 IRE promotes training The (Harrisburg, Pa.) Patriot-News for ethnic media By Brant Houston, IRE 23 FERTILE GROUND FOR UTILITY INVESTIGATIONS USING SOURCES, DATABASES AND FOI LAWS 6 BOOKS OF 2006 By Tom McGinty Investigative authors probe variety of Newsday issues ranging from military operations to tainted food 25 ENERGY Energy & By Steve Weinberg AND UTILITY RESOURCES The IRE Journal Utilities 26 WATER WORRIES 14 ABUSIVE COPS Aging water system fl ows with Investigation uncovers nationwide contamination; problem of police offi cers sexually little offi cial oversight of costs, assaulting women maintenance By Craig R. McCoy and Nancy Phillips By Ron Seely The Philadelphia Inquirer Wisconsin State Journal 16 FALSE PLEDGE 29 POWER PLAY Telemarketing fi rm soliciting donations Undeserving power companies for troopers keeps more than half the nab tax breaks intended to reward money businesses creating jobs By Amy Davis By Mike McAndrew KPRC-Houston The (Syracuse, N.Y.) Post-Standard 17 RECORDS BATTLE 31 HOOP PERKS Challenge to HIPAA over lead records Utility sponsorship of NBA team results in court’s groundbreaking ruling nets few rewards for ratepayers By Sharon Coolidge By Andrew McIntosh The Cincinnati Enquirer The Sacramento Bee 18 BIG HIT 33 PUMP CHECK Popularity of online mechanic fraud story Motorists have 1-in-25 chance of buying gas from a proves effectiveness of Web investigations pump that fails to give amounts within legal limit By Joel Grover By Lee Davidson KNBC-LA The (Salt Lake City) Deseret Morning News ABOUT THE COVER NRG Energy Inc. of Princeton, N.J. received a $22 million property tax break in 2003 as a participant in New York’s Empire Zone program, which is designed to help businesses create new jobs. Cover Story Pages 20-33 Cover photo by Gary Walts, The Post-Standard JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2007 3 FEATURES THE IRE JOURNAL FROM THE IRE OFFICES VOLUME 30 ❘ NUMBER 1 MANAGING EDITOR Anita Bruzzese IRE promotes training PUBLICATIONS COORDINATOR Megan Means for ethnic media ART DIRECTOR BRANT HOUSTON Wendy Gray SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Steve Weinberg t’s estimated that they serve 50 million readers and viewers. Their journalists are passionate, I optimistic and deeply connected to the community. The issues they cover include injustice, CONTRIBUTING LEGAL EDITOR housing and fraud, and they are not afraid to advocate for change. Their circulation and markets David Smallman are increasing – sometimes exponentially. While we once might have assumed this to be only the description of the mainstream media EDITORIAL ASSOCIATES in the United States, it actually is the story of ethnic media newsrooms, both large and small, Kate Rainey, Shannon Burke in this country. Some 700 of these organizations belong to New America Media, (www.newamericamedia.org) a coalition envisioned and started by Sandy Close, the founder of Pacifi c Radio and winner of a IRE MacArthur Fellowship (also known as the “genius grant”) in the mid-1990s. New America Media, or NAM, is the country’s fi rst and largest national collaboration of IRE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ethnic news organizations. Close founded NAM under her nonprofi t news service – Pacifi c News Brant Houston – in 1996 in California. BOARD OF DIRECTORS As NAM states on its Web site, its “goal is to promote the editorial visibility and economic viability of this critical sector of American journalism as a way to build inclusive public discourse PRESIDENT in our increasingly diverse, global society.” It also serves as a bridge to foundations and corpora- James V. Grimaldi, The Washington Post tions that are trying to fi gure out how to connect to communities of new citizens and immigrants who speak languages other than English. VICE PRESIDENT In