Finding the Next Campus-gate: Investigative Journalism For College Students

1. Finding the Next Campus-gate:Investigative Journalism For College Students Bob Bergland Missouri Western State University National College Media Convention Washington, D.C. Oct. 27, 2007

2. Investigative vs In-depth • Investigative—usually more event/action driven (corruption, mistakes, etc.) • In-depth—usually more issue-oriented • They share many of the same research and storytelling techniques. • This presentation deals with both types, and I’ll use the terms interchangeably

3. In-depth vs other stories • Many journalism articles are Reactive, written in response to an event/activity that has occurred or will occur Ex: Meeting, speech, game wrap-up/preview In-depth stories are Proactive, often stemming from the research, creativity or critical thinking of the reporter Not always negative—sometimes just brings an issue to light that should be discussed

4. Drawbacks to Investigative • Can take lots of time • Sacrifice of giving up other stories (most staffs have very limited resources) • Can cost money • Great potential for dead-ends • Political fallout—can make enemies But, “If you’re not pissing anybody off, you’re probably not doing your job”

5. Why do Investigative Articles? • Win awards • Portfolio pieces/jobs • Prestige • Reputation of newspaper • Be a watchdog, SERVE the readers

6. Warnings • Use tape recorders • Keep copies of notes, documents • Accuracy, Accuracy, Accuracy • Hold it! • Always give all sides the chance to respond—avoid surprises on publication days • Never, ever do these stories half-assed

7. Tools for Investigative Journalists • State sunshine laws—county, municipal, state records • Federal FOI Act guidelines (EPA, OSHA, etc) • Whistleblowers • The need for the other side to tell their story • Databases/websites • Charm and persuasiveness

8. Sources of ideas • Other newspapers, commercial and college (and Chronicle of Higher Ed) • Your own newspaper • Networks of sources, people on beat • Delve into available budgets, minutes of meetings • Brainstorming sessions • Cafeterias, dorm rooms

9. Comparison stories • How does your university stack up to other schools? Does it fall short in some areas, or excel in certain aspects? Examples: Entrance requirements, tuition rates, student fees, per capita funding (state), endowments, PhD/Terminal degrees, student/faculty ratio, household income, hours worked by students, enrollment #s, resident #s, drinking/drug use, retention rates, faculty pay, etc Sources: Provost/administrators, DOE, state dept. of higher ed, Peterson’s, AAUP

10. Comparison stories • Comparison between divisions/schools at your university—does one area get more funding, more prestige, computer facilities and other equipment, have higher GPAs • Comparison between years: increase in enrollment, tuition, greek #s, etc. • Other comparisons: bookstores vs online, cost of living on vs off campus, men vs women comparisons (GPAs, overall #s, majors), greek vs independent, resident vs commuter stats

11. By the numbers • Many of these stories are number driven • Find the discrepancies/anomalies! • Compare numbers over time, space • Dig, dig, dig • Compare apples to apples • Show me the money trail, follow the $

12. Breakdowns • These stories are good at showing who is at your university Examples: Religion, race (students and faculty), age, male-female, greek, resident, transfer, full-time/tenure track/part-time teachers, students who work and how much, states from (and % international), on probation, honors, politics Sources: admissions, NSSE and other surveys, newspaper or class surveys, greek affairs, faculty senate, registrar’s office Compare with national numbers

13. Inspections • Your university must comply with guidelines from many agencies—Take a fishing trip to make sure they are following those guidelines • These are great sources for private schools, since public agencies usually conduct these inspections and the documents are therefore public • Examples: Health codes (cafeteria, pool), Safety (EPA, OSHA, fire codes), emergency phones, Labor laws/EEO, ADA, outside audits, accreditation reports, consultant reports, state-required reports,denomination-required reports • Documents required for schools receiving fed finan. aid

14. Academics • GPAs/grade inflation, part-time vs full-time, % students passing licensure exams, getting into grad/law/med school, teacher exam results, nursing, CPA, magazine rankings, GRE/LSAT/MCAT scores

15. Sports • Don’t settle for doing just game stories • NCAA requires many documents which lead to great stories: revenue vs expenses, gender equity (athletes, scholarships, coaches), graduation rates, budget for each sport, pay of coaches • Great data to compare among sports, among schools in your conference • Others: attendance figures, facilities, GPA, NCAA infractions by school, athlete

16. Crime • Do a Clery report story annually—compare with previous years, other schools for trends • Look at campus crime logs daily/weekly • Get incident/arrest reports from your campus and local authorities • Read local paper’s police blotter • Lexis-Nexis search • Casenet • Local courthouse, county/city police • Disciplinary hearings

17. Contracts/bidding • Separation agreements, presidential perks, preferred vendors, kickbacks, change orders on buildings, patent ownership, college architect/lawyer • Private schools: deeds—see how much adjacent land your university owns

18. Student Gov’t • Always go to the meetings • Check budgets • Check bylaws and constitution • Analyze where funding allocations are going • Any groups under- or over-represented (greeks?) • Perks for officers?

19. Open records • Cell phone bills, charge/procurement cards, expense accounts, disaster plans, travel expenditures, investments

20. Assorted • Search state statutes and pending bills • Google job candidates (and call adviser/editors at that institution) • Federal grant programs • Research parks • Federal work study #s, Pell grants

21. Private schools • Request IRS form 990s, which are for non-profits; online? • These documents outline a rough budget and pay for executives • Do this for state school Foundations, athletic fundraising groups, etc. • Always ask for documents; mention any denial of documents in your stories, write editorials about lack of openness