bulletproofing the investigation jaws 2014 jennifer lafleur, cir (with artwork from young friends of...
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Bulletproofing the investigation
JAWS 2014
Jennifer LaFleur, CIR
(With artwork from young friends of journalism)
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Investigative reporting is a powerful tool.
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Snapshot of big famous story.
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It can make this
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Into this
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It gives us the power to check assumptions.
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Know the extremes
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First, we must face a fact.
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But don’t be afraid…
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Bulletproof your data and documents
Before ever reporting data or building an appDo integrity checks to find the flawsAdd caveats where necessaryDo your own analysis rather than relying on an agency’s analysis
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External checks
Understand what the data and documents mean.Know how many records you should have.Check counts and totals against reports.Are all possibilities included?
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Internal checksCompare fields to check for red flags• More teachers than students• More money going to vendors
than to contractors• What things just don’t make
sense
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Integrity checks for every data set
Check for missing data/documents
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Integrity checks for every data set
Check for missing dataCheck for duplicates
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Duplicates may not always be obvious
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Integrity checks for every data set
Check for missing data, misplaced data or blank fields Check for duplicatesTake margins of error into account if necessary
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Median HH Income by Metro Area
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Integrity checks for every data set
Check for missing data, misplaced data or blank fields Check for duplicatesTake margins of error into account if necessary (important if you’re using Census data).Check for outliers and extreme ups and downs
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Truck accidents by year and agency
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Beyond the basics
Keep a notes fileIf you’re working with data or documents – keep a copy of your originalKnow the sourceCheck against summary reports As you begin to write, footnote your documents and data
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Texas test score data official results versus district
Duncanville district reported 4th grade writing
Official report for Duncanville 4th grade writing
Courtesy Holly Hacker, The Dallas Morning News
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Beyond the basics
Keep a notes fileIf you’re working with data or documents – keep a copy of your originalKnow the sourceCheck against summary reportsUse the right tool
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H/T Matt Waite
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Disparities in water usage
“Water use highest in poor areas of the city”Mapping and statistical analysis
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Beyond the basics
Check with expertsKnow the standardsFind out what others have done Gut check – does it just seem wrong?
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Beyond the basics
Check with expertsKnow the standardsFind out what others have done Gut checkGo physically see a record or spot check against documents
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If you’re matching or backgrounding people…
A name is not enough. Lots of people have the same name
Get dates of birth and other information to make sure you have the correct person.
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Even people with seemingly unique names aren’t so unique
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Be transparent: Bounce your findings off targets and tell users/readers/viewers what you did.
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From the data source
Get the questionnaire and methodologyBeware of nonscientific methods: Web surveys, man on the streetKnow the sample sizeAccount for margin of error and non-responseRun statistical tests on the data if possible
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Erroneous government databases can often be a story themselves
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123456789 compared to 123-456-789
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What appears to be an error may be the story.
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Why data?
Contrasts are in the dataYour most powerful figures are in the dataYou can make connections you might not be able to make otherwise
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Why data?
Contrasts are in the dataYour most powerful figures are in the dataYou can make connections you might not be able to make otherwiseTest assumptions
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When there is no data, you may have to make your own.
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From the data source
Get the questionnaire and methodologyBeware of nonscientific methods: Web surveys, man on the street
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@j_la28 [email protected]
A special thanks to: Tracy, Olivia, Iris, Emmeline, Thomas, Silas, Carson, Harper and Erin