IRE Websites & Investigative Reporting

IRE Beat Source Guide:
I can see how this website would be useful, but only if you really know how to use it. IRE certainly isn't using the same search algorithm as Google. For example, I was surprised to find that my search for "murder" returned 0 sources. "Homicide," however, gave me some results. Same with "campus" (nada), and "college" (a few results). "Sport" didn't get me anything, but "sports" did -- that one was just annoying, really.

Also, it seems like the site expects you have to have a general idea of some of the institutions you may deal with while on your beat. When you conduct a search, the site gives you some recommended sources, but doesn't tell you much about what or who those sources are. This makes the site more useful for a veteran reporter.

What I did like: The simple search menu on the website was convenient and easy to navigate.


IRE's In the News Archive:
This is a really cool site. A lot of information is compiled here; the "related stories" section of each topic, especially, puts tons of useful information at your fingertips.

The site is, however, a bit helter-skelter. "Election resources," "Mt. St. Helen's," and "Tanker crash and fire" follow one another in the list of past breaking news stories, but have nothing in common. The list isn't arranged chronologically or alphabetically, either. I like this site, but would only use it if a) I was in the mood to troll around, or b) I knew what I wanted and was willing to go on a little treasure hunt to find it.


IRE's Extra! Extra!:
My favorite of the three IRE sites. It's easy to use AND arranged in a coherent manner -- most recent news first!

I also like that IRE devoted an entire page to investigative journalism. I think investigative journalism is what brings most journalism students to the major in the first place. Young, idealistic journalism students are just itching to expose corrupt politicians, or uncover an illegal sex ring operating out of a suburban PetsMart...or something like that.

Unfortunately, as the News 1 textbook has informed me, many news organizations are finding it difficult to keep investigative journalists on staff. Investigative pieces require a great deal of time, money, and human resources that editors aren't always able to be put towards one story. It's good to see that investigative journalism is indeed alive and kicking; journalists are still going out there, getting their hands dirty and pissing people off.


Investigative Reporting:

At the very beginning of this chapter, it says "[The muckrakers'] professional heirs today bring to their work the same commitment to exposure and reform." This caught my attention. Commitment to reform? The author may have been saying that many social and political institutions are reformed as a result of investigative journalism...but I read this sentence to mean that investigative journalists start a piece with the intent to reform. Is that OK? Should journalists begin the researching and reporting process with a desired outcome? I think many journalists do know what they want to come as a result of their work, but reporting for a desired result certainly makes it difficult to report objectively and without bias. So I think the book is right: Investigative journalists do have a commitment to reform. I was just surprised the author said this so plainly, considering the statement calls into question an investigative journalist's ability to report with the journalistic principles discussed elsewhere in the textbook.