REPORTER’S TOOLKIT

Here are some websites that provide important tools and information for investigative journalists. We will be adding more websites as soon as possible. Feel free to add resources. Questions and contributions and requests for documents, contact editor@investigativezim.com

Investigative Reporters and Editors www.ire.org

Journalismnet www.journalismnet.com

• BRB Publications has a free directory of public records sites – http://www.brbpub.com/freeresources/pubrecsites.aspx?h=1

• OSHA – workplace safety data – http://www.osha.gov/oshstats/index.html

• Fatal Accident Reporting System data (FARS) – http://www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov/QueryTool/QuerySection/SelectYear.aspx

• Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) – http://www.msha.gov/drs/drshome.htm

• Federal Railroad Administration – http://safetydata.fra.dot.gov/OfficeofSafety/publicsite/query/query.aspx

• National Agricultural Statistics Service – http://www.nass.usda.gov/Data_and_Statistics/Quick_Stats/index.asp

• Census – American FactFinder quick profiles of states, counties, etc. – http://factfinder.census.gov/home/saff/main.html?_lang=en

• EPA Environment data searches – http://www.epa.gov/epahome/commsearch.htm

• FAA data (service difficulty reports, on-time data, aircraft registry, etc.) – http://www.faa.gov/data_research/
  • Service Difficulty Reports – http://av-info.faa.gov/sdrx/
  • On-time stats – http://www.transtats.bts.gov/OT_Delay/OT_DelayCause1.asp

• Landings (aircraft registry, pilots) – http://www.landings.com/evird.acgi$pass*129569481!mtd*7!map*_landings/images/landings-topbuttons.map?98,11

• Bureau of Transportation Statistics – http://www.bts.gov/data_and_statistics/

• National Sex Offender Registry – http://www.nsopw.gov/Core/OffenderSearchCriteria.aspx?Advanced=1

• Census data – query and download results – http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DatasetMainPageServlet?_lang=en&_ts=262968313843&_ds_name=ACS_2007_3YR_G00_&_program

• Census download center - http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DownloadDatasetServlet?_lang=en

• Nursing Home Compare data download from Medicare.gov - http://www.medicare.gov/Download/DownloadDB.asp

• FRA data download – http://safetydata.fra.dot.gov/OfficeofSafety/publicsite/downloads/downloads.aspx

• MSHA accident and incident data download – http://www.msha.gov/STATS/PART50/p50y2k/p50y2k.HTM

• FBI Uniform Crime Reports download spreadsheets – http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm#cius

• Investigative Reporters and Editors www.ire.org
• Journalismnet www.journalismnet.com
• BRB Publications has a free directory of public records sites -http://www.brbpub.com/freeresources/pubrecsites.aspx?h=1

• OSHA – workplace safety data - http://www.osha.gov/oshstats/index.html

• Fatal Accident Reporting System data (FARS) - http://www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov/QueryTool/QuerySection/SelectYear.aspx

• Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) -http://www.msha.gov/drs/drshome.htm

• Federal Railroad Administration -http://safetydata.fra.dot.gov/OfficeofSafety/publicsite/query/query.aspx

• National Agricultural Statistics Service -http://www.nass.usda.gov/Data_and_Statistics/Quick_Stats/index.asp

• Census – American FactFinder quick profiles of states, counties, etc. -http://factfinder.census.gov/home/saff/main.html?_lang=en

• EPA Environment data searches -http://www.epa.gov/epahome/commsearch.htm

• FAA data (service difficulty reports, on-time data, aircraft registry, etc.) -http://www.faa.gov/data_research/
  • Service Difficulty Reports - http://av-info.faa.gov/sdrx/
  • On-time stats -http://www.transtats.bts.gov/OT_Delay/OT_DelayCause1.asp

• Landings (aircraft registry, pilots) -http://www.landings.com/evird.acgi$pass*129569481!mtd*7!map*_landings/images/landings-topbuttons.map?98,11

• Bureau of Transportation Statistics - http://www.bts.gov/data_and_statistics/

• National Sex Offender Registry -http://www.nsopw.gov/Core/OffenderSearchCriteria.aspx?Advanced=1

• Census data – query and download results -http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DatasetMainPageServlet?_lang=en&_ts=262968313843&_ds_name=ACS_2007_3YR_G00_&_program

• Census download center -http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DownloadDatasetServlet?_lang=en

• Nursing Home Compare data download from Medicare.gov -http://www.medicare.gov/Download/DownloadDB.asp

• FRA data download -http://safetydata.fra.dot.gov/OfficeofSafety/publicsite/downloads/downloads.aspx

• MSHA accident and incident data download -http://www.msha.gov/STATS/PART50/p50y2k/p50y2k.HTM

• FBI Uniform Crime Reports download spreadsheets -http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm#cius
• World Press Photography
• Non-profit organization committed to promoting photojournalism worldwide.
• Multimedia Shooter
• Workshops, e-updates, critiques, columns, featured video and galleries.
• zReportage
• Multimedia portal launched by Scott McKiernan that features a new in-depth socially concerned picture and text essay every Tuesday.
• Providence Journal: Reporters and Photographers Working Together
• Tips from Bob Wyss of the Journal.
• EditorialPhotographers.com
• Hundreds of resources, including a database of photographers and magazines, news stories, links to top magazines, copyright lawyers and more.
• EditorialPhoto.com
• Advertising Photographers of America National
• ASMP: American Society of Media Photographers
• Search a database of photographers. Dozens of links to stories and events relating to press photographers.
• American Photojournalist
• Media Storm
• Brian Storm’s multimedia and photojournalism site.
• Multimedia Muse
• Photojournalism and online visual storytelling site.
• Online Photo Magazines to Follow
• Kobre Guide
• Web’s best multimedia and video journalism.
• NPPA: News Photographer Magazine
• Archive of famous news photos.
• Photos that Changed the World
• Archive of famous news photos.
• World War II in Color
• A great collection of rare photographs from WWII.
• Blood and Honey
• Photojournalist Ron Haviv went to Yugoslavia in 1991, intrigued by the nascent independence movement in one of the last countries still intact after the Cold War.
• LIFE Magazine Covers and Photo Essays
• Life Magazine’s Photos of the Year
• PhotoBetty.com
• A photography/photojournalism Weblog with a focus on women photographers. The site includes reviews, listservs and more.
• DigitalJournalist: Ground Zero
• A photog’s trip to Ground Zero in New York City for a small weekly newspaper.
• Vincent Laforet Photography
• Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer.
• Joel Sartore Photography
• From the National Geographic photographer.
• Photo Marketing Association International
• Society for News Design
• Workshop schedule, membership database and more.
• Society for News Design: World’s Best Designed Newspapers
• Database of winners in various categories.
• Photojournalism e-book: Breaking into Photojournalism
• Kenneth Wajda, an author and an award-winning photojournalist, wrote an e-book for students and other photographers interested in how to break into the business of photojournalism. He covers how to find and shoot spot news, the importance of professional ethics and respect, how to build a sports and people portfolio on the side, and how to approach news and photo editors with your photographs. A must-read for aspiring photojournalists.
• NewsInPictures.com
• Hundreds of links to photo essays and non-linear storytelling sites.
• Things Never to Say to or About a Photojournalist
• Funny column from www.ronreason.com.
• Photo District News Newsletter
• Includes a newswire, resources, trend stories, etc.
• Photo District News Archive
• Photo News Network
• Studies, business and law and other resources.
• American Society of Media Photographers — Midwest Chapter
• The Camera Watch Site
• From USA Today: Part of the Surveillance of Surveillance project, this site aims to catalog the disquieting number of publicly accessible Webcams that are pointing at public spaces.”
• NASA Images Library
• National Association of Photoshop Users
• Fotophile.com
• A super site! Books, galleries and links for photography of all kinds, including photojournalism.
• Photojournalism Ethics: Photo Manipulation
• A great ethics paper on altering photos. A must-read for photojournalists.
• Photographers Index Database
• Search a database of professional photographers. (Many are not photojournalists but commercial photographers.
• Photographers.com Global Search
• University of Missouri Workshop
• Workshops for documentary photography.
• Mountain Workshops
• Western Kentucky University workshops in documentary photography and picture editing.
• National Geographic: Photo Tips
• Sree’s Photography Tips
• From a Columbia University professor.
• Sree’s Photo Ethics Page
• Links and samples from a Columbia University professor.
• OReilly Digital Media
• A digital photography tips site that includes a weblog.
• PhotoLeap.com
• A free program that compresses digital photo files. Helps when e-mailing photos.
• New York Public Library Digital Gallery
• Hundreds of online photos/paintings, etc.
• PiCasa.com
• Get a free download of this photo software that features editing tools similar to Photoshop. Available through Google search engine.
• Art of World War I
• An archive of photography and artwork.
• Reportage
• An online e-zine of photojournalism.
• Foto8 Magazine: Photojournalism Today
• FotoSearch Stock Photography
• Allows users to search from over 90 stock photography companies. You can find royalty-free clipart pictures, illustrations, video clips, and vector maps.
• Congressional Pictoral Directory
• Photojournalism and Reportage
• A great listing of links from About.com.
• PBS.org: Ansel Adams — A Commentary Film
• This is a centennial site of photographer Ansel Adams.
• Rangefinder
• Online magazine for professional photographers.
• ShareALot.com
• A free Internet photo-swapping service.
• Picture History
• This site from the Kohlberg Foundation offers a digital library of images and footage illustrating more than 200 years of American history.
• Digital Journalist
• Operated by photojournalist Dirck Halstead, this site features works from world reknown photojournalists such as Peter Turnley, Diana Walker, Nubar Alexanian, Doug Kirland, Ami Vitale, and others. It also features a series of regular columnists that discuss the state of the industry, best practices and equipment reviews.
• VervePhoto Documentary Photojournalism Blog
• Tongue-in-cheek tips.
• Livebooks RESOLVE Photojournalism Site
• Doug Menuez Photo Journalism Blog
• Digital Photography School
• Great tips and tricks.
• Digital Photography School: How Twitter Can Make You a Photojournalist
• Gawno: 78 Photography Rules for Complete Idiots
• Tongue-in-cheek tips.
• Ease History
• This Michigan State University website features videos and photographs from 1900 to the present. The site connects historical events, campaign ads and core democratic values. Users can search on over 600 videos and photographs and view them inside three different interfaces. It’s built from an environmental perspective and includes ad campaigns from the 1950s to present.
• The American Museum of Photography
• A great collection of themed, offbeat-topic photo slideshows, links and more.
• Associated Press Photo Managers
• Digital Vision Network
• Ethics Matters Column from News Photographer Magazine
• Finding Free Photographs and Images on the Net
• Musarium
• NPPA Code of Ethics
• Photog’s Lounge
• About.com: Photography
• Sports Shooter
• Deeply Curious
• An archive of thousands of ocean and land photos from world-renowned photographers.
• Sports Shooter
• An e-zine from USA Today’s Robert Hanashiro.
• VisualJournalism.com
• A great design site from a UK journalist.
• Photosig
• Amateur photographers can critique others’ work or have their work analyzed in a number of categories.
• Non-Photography: No Rules Street Photography
• A gallery of some cool feature images that aren’t staged. You can pick up some great composition ideas from this site.
• Bob Gruen: Rock N’ Roll Photographer
• Portfolio of one of the best rock photographers around.
• PictureEditor.com
• Photojournalism-related site (my site) you might want to add, some galleries, forums, resources, a photography news blog, etc.
• Formerly 669
• A daily photoblog. Quirky and offbeat.
• Digital Photography: The Textbook
• Digital Photography Review
• Imaging Resource
• Photo.net
• DigitalJournalist.org: State of Photojournalism: Photojournalism and the Web
• Strategy and Design: Developing the Photographer’s Web Site
• Tips and ideas from Don Luce.
• Vewd
• Photography portfolio site with great storytelling slideshows.
• DigitalJournalist.org: 20 Years — AIDS & Photography
• A look at how AIDS has been documented by photographs. The site won a 2001 Online News award.
• Charlie Rose: Interviews with Photographers
• PhotoBlogs.org
• Features pictorial diaries from professional and amateur photographers.
• BleakBeauty.com
• This site is devoted to documentary photography and photojournalism. A good teaching resource.
• MyImager.com: Edit Photos Online
• Resources to help you crop, retouch and edit your photos.
• SoulEyes
• A collection of different photographers’ personal projects.
• MSNBC.com: The Week in Pictures
• MagnumPhotos.com Portfolios
• Some very cool portfolios from some great photographers.
• Ali: Through the Lens of Howard Bingham
• A photo essay on boxing champ Muhammad Ali.
• U.S. Geological Survey Photographic Library
• More than 400,000 photographs taken during geologic studies of the United States, from 1868 to present. Search through earthquakes, volcanoes, state parks, etc.
• Indivisible: Stories of an American Community
• “An exploration of community life in America by some of this country’s most accomplished photographers, radio producers, and folklorists.”
• Visual Diaries
• Check out personal images of photographers everywhere.
• Military Photojournalism Projects
• Google’s Photojournalism Page
• Photography/Art Site
• Beyond the Viewfinder: A Year in the Life of Photojournalism
• A cool photojournalism Web journal.
• Masters of Photography
• ZoneZero.com
• Handheld Magazine
• Great Phototips.com
• DigitalJournalist.org: 20 Years — AIDS & Photography
• A look at how AIDS has been documented by photographs. The site won a 2001 Online News award.
• DigitalJournalist.org: Amy Bowers’ TV Column
• An archive of Amy Bowers’ monthly television columns for digitaljournalist.org, a photojournalism site.
• AirPhotoUSA.com
• Provides satellite photos and aerial maps. Popular among TV news, this site charges a fee.
• PhotoSource.com
• Stock photography meeting place. Search a database of hundreds of images.
• PPA.com: Professional Photographers of America’s Photo Central
• Some links and stories. Photo expos and convention schedules.
• American Society of Media Photographers’ Copyright Page
• EPUK: Editorial Photographers — UK and Ireland
• Contacts, stories, archives, newsletters and links for photojournalists.
• British Association of Picture Libraries and Archives
• Friends of Photography at the Ansel Adams Center
• World Press Photography
• Non-profit organization commited to promoting photojournalism worldwide.
• Kenneth Christian: 20 Years of Photojournalism
• SendSpace.com
• Free file sharing site allows you to move large photo and video files.
• Faking Images in Photojournalism
• A student project with some great links.
• ProfessorDeVigal.org
• Great primers and resources from Drew DeVigal, NY Times multimedia editor.
• iLovePhotoBlogs
• A collection of great photo blogs, tips and resources.
• Photojournalism Ethics Timeless Issues
• A paper from Paul Martin Lester, Ph.D. at Cal State Fullerton.
• Photojournalism: A Record of War
• About.com Photo Documentaries
• PhotoLinks.net
• Boasts that it has more than 5,000 links for professional photographers.
• Photographer’s Index
• Search a database of photographers and professional associations. Also has stock photos and lists copyright and image security information and a stock photo price calculator.
• Media Photographers’ Copyright Agency
• Washington Post’s Camera Works Section
• The best in online photo slideshows.
• b-roll Online
• A great site for print and broadcast photojournalists.
• HistoricAerials
• Provides free online access to historic and current aerial photography.
• Library of Congress Wartime Photo Archive
• International Photo Journalism Festival
• Photo Central: Professional Photographers of America
• Proof Positive: Freelance Photographers and Writers
• American Society of Media Photographers
• Chicago chapter links off to many helpful sites.
• Visual Edge
• A journalism multimedia design seminar conducted by the Poynter Institute created this site that features 12 multimedia feature stories ranging from a tightly knit group of longtime domino players to handicapped sailors.
• Ask.com: News Photos Database
• An ongoing feed of news photos sortable by topics.
• Lycos: World in Photos
• Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Online Video
• From the Center for Social Media at American University.
• FotoPedia
• Encyclopedia of photography. Share your photos and document them.
• PicSearch
• Searches the web for photos.
• Kartoo
• A great meta-search tool for visuals.
• iStockPhoto.com
• Purchase rights-free photos for a small fee.
• Kodak’s Web Site
• Site includes some copyright guidelines for media professionals.
• Diggit.com
• A search engine for online photos. Claims to have access to more than 12 million online images.
• Earth Science Picture of the Day
• Ponopresse
• Online photo archive and many helpful links.
• PBS: A Century of Photos
• A dynamite cinematography site.
• MediaStorm
• Sponsored by the Washington Post, this multimedia storytelling site is run by Brian Storm. It uses some great photography and simple, but effective, use of Flash. The site has a newsletter you can subscribe to.
• BigStormPicture
• Storm chaser Ryan McGinnis’ photo blog. Some great storm shots.
• Stealing Kids’ Dreams
• A gallery of photos of children at work in different parts of the world. From a doctor at Harvard School of Public Health, the site focuses on working conditions and raises about employment for kids.
• Public Domain Images
• Zoetrope: All-Story
• Take a cool digital tour of a variety of topics.
• Digital Photography
• Canadian photojournalist Rob Galbraith’s site on digital cameras and digital photography.
• PhotographyTips.com
• A site that covers the basics. Beginners only.
• SnapFish.com
• Digital Photo Review
• Steve’s Digicams
• Photo.net
• Shutterfly
• Photographer Sacha Biyan’s Site
• PictoryMag
• A cool online showcase for photography/slideshows.
• TakeGreatPictures.com
• Photography tips from former U.N. chief photographer John Isaac. Pretty basic stuff, but some good tips nonetheless.
• Stock Logos Download
• NewsDesigner.com
• A blogger covers news and trends in the newspaper design world.
• The Mario Blog
• News design blog from Mario Garcia.
• The Mario Classroom
• Design and typography blog from Mario Garcia.
• Associated Press Photo Managers
• The Digital Journalist
• American Society of Media Photographers
• American Society of Picture Professionals
• Digital Vision Network
• PBS: American Photography — A Century of Images
• Documentary Blog
• News and reviews of the latest documentary films.
• B-Roll.net
• Television photojournalism site.
• Layers Magazine
• A how-to magazine for everything Adobe. Great tips and tutorials.
• FlowingData.com: Infographics to Understand the Financial Crisis
• WebUrbanist
• Flickr
• Upload and share photos.