The Investigative Reporting Workshop’s Blogs

Exemption 10

No, government is not too open

March 13-19 was Sunshine Week — a nationwide celebration of access to public information. Across the country, the week was marked by panel discussions, workshops and other events about using and understanding the latest developments in freedom-of-information resources. One of those was an event at the University of Missouri in which Charles Lewis, the Workshop's executive editor, argued that government has not become too transparent.

iFOIA's new site features tracking

Since 1996 the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press has offered a free letter-generating service to provide users with the correct language and structure for FOIA requests. Over the past year the committee looked for ways to expand this tool to better serve reporters. In recognition of the fact that a single investigation can require hundreds of FOIA requests, they sought to make it easier for journalists to track and organize records requests.

“Reporters are always trying to remember where they’ve submitted requests, how much time has passed since they made the request and who they need to follow up with,” said Emily Grannis of the new ifOIA website.

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Shop Notes

Newspaper circulation plummets — again

Newspaper circulation plummeted again last year, following the trend of decreased distribution since the early 2000s, according to a new Pew Research Center report released Wednesday.

What we're reading: recent investigations from across the country

Latest investigations tackle immigration, crime and American's youth

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Incubating new economic models for journalism.

Latest from iLab

Emails reveal complaints to mayor's office about transparency watchdog

Emails from aides to Mayor Muriel E. Bowser show frustration with District transparency head Traci L. Hughes' “cracking down” on agencies, according to a new report from The Washington Post. 


Coverage of arming teachers

Over that last eight years, interest in arming teachers with guns is the result of school shootings. News coverage and Google searches reflect these trends. 

Blogs

Most Recent Posts

Newspaper circulation plummets — again

Newspaper circulation plummeted again last year, following the trend of decreased distribution since the early 2000s, according to a new Pew Research Center report released Wednesday.

What we're reading: recent investigations from across the country

Latest investigations tackle immigration, crime and American's youth

Banks post record profits, but new bill may threaten community lenders

The U.S. banking industry reported record profits of $56 billion in the first quarter of 2018, an increase of more than 27 percent over the same time last year, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

Giving data journalism a second shot

Flying from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., for an internship was a nerve-racking way to start my year. But that jump for a data journalism internship with The Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University was the best choice I’ve made this year.

Americans prefer the government protect free speech over censoring 'fake news,' Pew study shows

Most Americans are against the U.S. government restricting fake news online and prefer it protect freedom of information. However, most do support technology companies taking a role in limiting fake news. 

Partners

Workshop Partners

We publish online and in print, teaming up with other news organizations. We recently aired "Blackout in Puerto Rico," a co-production of FRONTLINE, NPR and the Workshop. We also recently produced an IRW Interactive, "Nightmare Bacteria: Life Without Antibiotics," a compilation of several programs on antibiotic-resistance done with the FRONTLINE team based at the Workshop and the School of Communication.

Our graduate students are working as researchers and reporters with The Washington Post's investigative team. We recently published stories with the Post on Trump merchandise, police shootings and fired officers.

Over the years, we have teamed with msnbc and later NBC News online to produce our BankTracker series and stories on the economy. We also co-produced the first season of "Years of Living Dangerously," a documentary series and Emmy Award-winning program that aired on Showtime. Learn more on our partners page.

Projects

Investigating Power update

Investigating Power update

Profiles of notable journalists and their stories of key moments in U.S. history in the last 50 years can be found on the Investigating Power site. See Workshop Executive Editor Charles Lewis' latest video interviews as well as historic footage and timelines. You can also read more about the project and why we documented these groundbreaking examples of original, investigative journalism that helped shape or change public perceptions on key issues of our time, from civil rights to Iraq, here.