CONTENTSFEATURES THE IRE JOURNAL TABLE OF CONTENTS JULY/AUGUST 2004 18 - 27 INVESTIGATIONS OFF BREAKING NEWS 4 NICAR has served roles as educator, incubator FLIGHT 5481 in 10-year IRE association Fatal crash reveals commuter airplane By Brant Houston maintenance flaws The IRE Journal By Ames Alexander The Charlotte Observer 6 Annual conference draws more than 900 to Atlanta By The IRE Journal staff SHUTTLE BREAKUP Disaster plan helps 8 PEACE CORPS team to keep focus Violence against volunteers worldwide in yearlong probe found in database checks, interviews By John Kelly By Russell Carollo Florida Today Dayton (Ohio) Daily News CLUB FIRE 10 CHARITY ACCOUNTABILITY ‘Who died and why’ serves as Scrutiny shows leading environmental group focus after 100 perish cut insider deals, drilled for oil in sensitive area By Thomas E. Heslin By Joe Stephens The Providence (R.I.) Journal The Washington Post BLACKOUT 12 NONPROFITS Power shortages, interruptions Charities lend millions to officers, directors could become more common story By Harvy Lipman By The IRE Journal staff The Chronicle of Philanthropy 14 HANDSHAKE HOTELS 28 Turning your investigations Radio reporters find hidden into books costs of NYC homeless housing deals By Steve Weinberg By Andrea Bernstein and Amy Eddings The IRE Journal WNYC-New York Public Radio 29 POWER PLAYS 15 FOI REPORT Varied state records show Summer records work perfect election preparation abuse of power by public officials By Charles Davis By Phil Williams and Bryan Staples WTVF-Nashville 16 PLEA DEALS Criminals avoid felony records even after pleading guilty 30 Plenty of election year left By Jason Grotto and Manny Garcia for pursuing campaign stories The Miami Herald By Aron Pilhofer and Derek Willis The Center for Public Integrity ABOUT THE COVER 32 VOTING RECORDS Disaster and aftermath Mapping and analysis provide deeper grasp of Justice Department’s balloting investigation pictures from Florida Today, By Scott Fallon and Benjamin Lesser The Providence Journal The (Bergen, N.J.) Record and The Charlotte Observer. 33 TV FOCUS Newsroom-orchestrated stings, Cover Story though popular with viewers, Pages 18-27 present concerns for stations By Aaron Barnhart Cover design by The Kansas City Star Wendy Gray, The IRE Journal JULY/AUGUST 2004 3 FEATURES FEATURES THE IRE JOURNAL FROM THE IRE OFFICES VOLUME 27 NUMBER 4 NICAR has served roles EDITOR & IRE DEPUTY DIRECTOR Len Bruzzese as educator, incubator in MANAGING EDITOR Anita Bruzzese 10-year IRE association ART DIRECTOR BRANT HOUSTON Wendy Gray SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR n this issue of The IRE Journal you will find articles written by Ben Lesser of The Record in Steve Weinberg I New Jersey and Jason Grotto of The Miami Herald. Each of them received degrees from the Missouri School of Journalism – Ben an undergradu- CONTRIBUTING LEGAL EDITOR ate degree, Jason a graduate degree. But each of them also got a valuable education at the IRE David Smallman Database Library as a result of a powerful and innovative collaboration between a great school and a great professional association. EDITORIAL INTERN Ten years ago, the Missouri School of Journalism and IRE joined forces to bring data analysis Marina Walker to mainstream journalism. The collaboration was the reorganization and re-energizing of the computer-assisted reporting program at Missouri, which had been founded by data analysis pioneer Elliot Jaspin in 1989. IRE With a slight change in name (Missouri to National) and an ambitious training program, the IRE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting began a mission to train students and mid- Brant Houston career professionals in the effective use of databases for long-term and daily journalism. The data library, which has grown in professionalism and impact, has played a major role BOARD OF DIRECTORS in this effort. The data library has not only provided low-cost and easier-to-use federal data for journalists, but also has served as an international learning center. The staff of professionals and CHAIR Shawn McIntosh, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution students trained each other. Then they trained other journalists in newsrooms to use the data they received from the library. PRESIDENT The data library currently assists journalists at more than 200 news organizations a year and David Boardman, The Seattle Times the staff also has trained more than 1,000 journalists who have come to Missouri for the NICAR VICE PRESIDENT week-long boot camp seminars. Duane Pohlman, WEWS-Cleveland Whether it’s figuring out how to negotiate for data, download it, convert it, or analyze it, the data library has been there for all kinds of journalists and news organizations – print, broadcast, TREASURER online or freelance. Cheryl Phillips, The Seattle Times Out of this intense collaboration has emerged a new breed of journalist: A journalist – adept SECRETARY at all the traditional reporting methods – who can blend in new electronic techniques to produce Stephen C. Miller, The New York Times better and more credible stories. Among the journalists who have worked at the data library and moved on to do even more Paul Adrian, KDFW-Dallas/Fort Worth impressive work are Jo Craven McGinty, who won a Pulitzer Prize at The Washington Post and now does projects at Newsday, Andy Lehren who has won national broadcast awards while a Stephen K. Doig, Arizona State University producer at Dateline NBC, and Jack Dolan, who was Pulitzer finalist while at The Hartford James V. Grimaldi, The Washington Post Courant. Other library and journalism school alumni include MaryJo Sylwester of USA Today, Andy Hall, Wisconsin State Journal Justin Mayo of The Seattle Times, John Sullivan and Dawn Fallik of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Dianna Hunt, Fort Worth Star-Telegram Megan Christensen of the Detroit Free Press, Mike Sherry of The Kansas City Star, David Wethe Mark Katches, The Orange County Register of The New York Times. [To see a fuller list of those who have worked as students in the data Deborah Sherman, KUSA-Denver library, go to www.ire.org/datalibrary/alumni.] From the early days of NICAR, when there were only two graduate research assistants, we Nancy Stancill, The Charlotte Observer have grown to five graduate research assistants, several undergraduate assistants, and two journal- ists who left newsroom investigative desks to come here and to work with the school and IRE: The IRE Journal (ISSN0164-7016) is published Jeff Porter and David Herzog. six times a year by Investigative Reporters and Jeff, the full-time data library director, came here in 2001 from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Editors, Inc. 138 Neff Annex, Missouri School of David Herzog came here from The Providence Journal to teach computer-assisted reporting to Journalism, Columbia, MO 65211, 573-882-2042. Missouri students while editing our CAR newsletter, Uplink, and working with the data library. E-mail: [email protected]. U.S. subscriptions are $70 for individuals, $85 for libraries and $125 And our current and former training directors, alumni and a host of friends of IRE and NICAR for institutions/businesses. International sub- frequently supplement the students’ education. scriptions are $90 for individuals and $150 for Altogether, it’s terrific to see how such profound changes for the good can be made for a all others. Periodical postage paid at Columbia, profession that is embattled on so many other fronts. MO. Postmaster: Please send address changes to IRE. USPS #451-760 Brant Houston is executive director of IRE and the National Institute for Computer-Assisted © 2004 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 JULY/AUGUST 2004 5 FEATURES I FEATURESR E N E W S Conference audio tapes Investigation.” MEMBER NEWS Michael D. Sallah, Mitch Weiss and Joe Mahr are available through Web ex Alexander has been named enterprise/ Audio tapes from the various panels held at the of The (Toledo, Ohio) Blade won in Investigative investigative team leader at the (Greens- IRE Annual Conference in Atlanta are now available. Reporting (Newspapers/ Wire Services, Circula- L The taping by Sound Images benefits members who tion 100,000 or greater) for “Buried Secrets, Brutal boro, N.C.) News & Record. He was the assistant were not able to attend the conference and attendees Truths.” features editor and previously worked as an Kurt Silver, Jason Foster, John Ferrugia, who had to choose between panels that interested investigative-projects reporter and computer- them. It also allows newsroom managers to build a and Jeff Harris of KMGH (Denver, Colo.) won in training library for their staffs. Television Investigative Reporting (Network/ Top assisted reporting specialist at the newspaper. Members can order the tapes through the IRE 25 Markets) for “Honor and Betrayal: Scandal at Paul D’Ambrosio, an investigations editor at the Academy.” Web site at www.ire.org/training/audio.html. the Asbury Park Press, Neptune, N.J., led the team Lee Williams of The Virgin Islands Daily News Three IRE members won in Public Service (Newspapers/ Wire Services, of Gannett New Jersey newspaper reporters who now on SABEW board Circulation less than 100,000) for “Deadly Force.” won the $25,000 Farfel Prize for Excellence in Phil Williams and Bryan Staples of WTVF Investigative Reporting for “Profiting from Public George Haj (The Houston Chronicle), Diana Hen- (Nashville, Tenn.) won in Television Investigative riques (The New York Times) and James T. Madore Reporting (All other markets) for “Perks of Power: Service.” The team included Jason Method and (Newsday) have been elected members of the Society The UT President.” James W. Prado Roberts of the Press, Colleen of American Business Editors and Writers’ Board of Derek Willis and Aron Pilhofer of The Center O’Dea of the Morris County, N.J.