Investigator's Guide to Info. Sources
GAO site explains types of records kept by local/state governments, links to federal agencies, businesses, directories, investigation databases.
SPJ Open Doors
Tips for accessing public records.
SOS Social Security Number Watch
Match a social security number to a holder and validate. Run through the Data Privacy Lab at Harvard.
Public Records Online
Search state-by-state criminal records, real estate information and more.
BRB Public Records online.
A huge sites with links to free and pay public records sites.
Social Security Death Index
Get the SSN of the deceased.
ProPublica Recovery Tracker: How Much Stimulus Funding Is Going To Your County?
Searchsystems.net
Links to almost 5,000 public records databases. Claims to be the largest free collection of public records databases on the Web. Formerly the PAC-Info. site, just click on a state and you'll get a list of all free public record collections for that state. Most include incorporation filings.
Public-Information.com
This site charges a fee. Search state/local criminal, DMV, prison records and more.
Birth Database
Search birth certificate records for free.
Portico
Find public records databases galore.
Zabasearch
People finder tool.
BRB Publications
Search public records by state.
Center for Investigative Reporting
Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) Resource Center
Story samples, tip sheets and more.
IRE 2012 Links
Storify collection of tools from the IRE national convention seminars.
Gannett @ IRE
Tumblr blog by Gannett reporters from 2012 IRE conference.
Federal FOIA Appeals Guide
From the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.
Spreadsheet Journalism Blog
Digital journalist Abbott Katz blogs from London. His blog "helps bring you up to speed with some of Excel's important capabilities, and points you at the story possibilities boxed inside the data."
Sunlight Academy
Training site for how to use Sunlight Foundation resources for unlocking government data.
Medicare: Nursing Home Inspections
Includes complaints and inspections. Search by state to find homes with problems in your neighborhood.
Deteriorating Bridges Database
Sort files in Excel to find bridges and overpasses in your area that are in poor shape. Great public safety story.
Train Wrecks Database
From the Department of Transportation Office of Safety, this database allows you to find the most dangerous train crossings in your area.
EPA: Toxic Release Inventory Database
Has more than 650 toxic chemicals being released into communities. You can search all the way down to ZIP code level.
USDA Database: Ag Commodities by State, Country and ZIP Code
Investigative Desktop
Investigative Reporters and Editors links page for investigative journalists.
Sunlight Foundation: Online Foreign Agent Lobbying Database
The Foreign Agent Registration Act requires the Justice Department to maintain detailed reports of lobbying firms hired by foreign governments and by organizations. Just select legislators from a menu and it will show their records, lobbyist ties, etc.
Poligraft
This Sunlight Foundation site adds political context to news stories by scanning news articles you enter for the names of donors, corporations, lobbyists and politicians and shows how they are connected by contributions. Free site.
Footnoted.com
Morningstar's guide to what's hiding in SEC filings.
ComFind Public Records Site
News, laws, initiatives and activities that relate in any way to the keeping and distribution of information and public records.
ProPublica Nursing Home Inspection Reports
Google Search Techniques for Journalists
Many tips and tricks.
FindtheData.org
Search nine broad categories for relevant data, stats.
InvestigateWest
West Coast investigative journalism news site from former Seattle Post-Intelligencer journalists.
FEC: Detailed Files About Candidates, Parties and Other Committees
Information on contributors, including city, state and ZIP.
Global Investigative Journalism Network: Resources
AFL-CIO: 2009 Executive Pay Watch
The CEO pay database is extremely helpful in research for executive stories .
Vanno: The Company Reputation Index
Captures gossip, news, opinion and personal insight about companies and their reputations, and turns it all into numerical scores and rankings.
Datamasher.org
Charts government stats and other data.
Portico
Similar to The Toolbox: Maps, reverse lookups, public records, etc.
The Art of Access Blog
Tips on public records searches.
Data.gov
A government data mashup that is an initiative of the Obama administration.
Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting
From the World Security Institute, this site provides in-depth resources on global affairs.
Truthdig.com
An investigative reporting site from former LA Times columnist Robert Sheer.
LibGuides at Duke University
Research private companies.
FBI Cyber Scams
Tips on scams involving bogus e-mails, greeting cards, etc.
Los Angeles Times Data Desk
Databases galore, from tropical storm names, charities, entertainment, politics, etc.
ShareSleuth
An independent Web-based reporting aimed at "exposing securities fraud and corporate chicanery."
Influence Explorer
From the Sunlight Foundation, OpenSecrets.org, and the Project on Government Oversight, this site tracks voting trends of politicians. Great first-stop for tracking conflicts of interest or investigating a politician.
Foundation Center
Tax forms and other documents about several charitable organizations.
BankTracker
From American University's Investigative Reporting Workshop, this site follows trends and issues in the banking industry.
National Attorney Generals Association
This site has links to state attorney general's offices. Most attorney general sites, such as New York's have information on nonprofit organizations that make more than $150,000 a year.
ProPublica
An independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest. Covers topics such as justice, business, environment/energy and health.
LegiStorm
A database of congressional staff salaries and other valuable public records, such as the most comprehensive database of all privately financed trips taken by members of Congress and congressional staffers.
IRE: Resources for Investigating Highway and Water Transportation Deaths
Reporter.org: Who is John Doe? Investigative Tools
From the Reporter's Desktop, this is a simple list of resources you can access to get personal information about almost anyone in the United States.
Coalition of Journalists for Open Government
A resource for journalists who want to stay current on open government developments or to learn more about access issues at the federal level.
Student Press Law Center: FOIA Letter Generator
Just fill in the blanks.
The Innocence Project
A searchable database of states offering projects to free wrongfully accused prisoners through DNA and other evidence. Run by the Cardozo School of Law in NYC.
Local State and Federal Employee Information Database
You can use this database to track salaries, bonuses, etc.
Terrorism Research Center
Resources and research including comprehensive listing of links to terrorism-related Web pages including profiles of individual terrorist groups compiled by the U.S. Navy's Dudley Knox Library.
University of Miami: Online News and Computer-Assisted Reporting Research Project
Syracuse University: Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC)
The Associated Press and Freedom of Information
Google Public Data Explorer
Makes large datasets easy to explore, visualize and communicate. As the charts and maps animate over time, the changes in the world become easier to understand.
Child Abduction Site
Several helpful research tools if you're covering this topic and a wealth of media contact information.
Criminal-Records.com
Search federal court, divorce court, marriage licenses, military records and more.
Criminal Searches Criminal History Check
Good quick-reference, but assumptions should NOT be made solely on the offense displayed on this web site. The data includes more than criminal records, such as civil filings and traffic and other minor offenses, so people listed may not be actual criminals.
The IRE Resource Center: Tipsheets from CAR Conference Speakers
This is an actual database of tipsheets that IRE members can download as PDF files directly from the Web site. You have to be an IRE member to access the database.
World Corruption Site
Site says it is run by "global non-governmental organization devoted to combating corruption. Its mission is to create change toward a world free of corruption."
Center for Public Integrity
Tips and resources on using public documents, including campaign finance research.
Knowx.com
Comprehensive searches for public records. You must register to use the site.
Dataquick.com
Real property info. center.
The Smoking Gun
This is a good FOIA site that claims to find documents that can't be found elsewhere on the Web. Its material is gleaned from government documents, court files, etc.
GovernmentAttic.org
"Interesting Federal Government documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act."
The Art of Access
Charles Davis's blog that accompanies the book by the same name. Full of tips on how to use FOIAs.
Guides to Understanding Open Records
.PDFs from the Reporters Committee for the Freedom of the Press.
Opensecrets.org
A fantastic site for researching campaign finance statistics.
CampaignFinance.org FOI
Includes campaign finance research and a clearinghouse of key FOIA sites.
IRE Archive of Hot Stories
Good to check every few days for ideas, news, etc.
U.S. Search Background Information
IBB Voice of America: Pronunciation Guide
An invaluable tool to broadcasters on deadline.
National Criminal Justice Reference Service: Uniform Crime Report and Supplementary Homicide Report
Data by state is available since 1960 and data by local reporting agency since 1985.
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act
FBI now gets authority to wiretap individuals, or under the secret FISA procedures, which is also a secret court proceeding.
IRE: Dam Resources
Resources for covering dam inspections and dam deterioration.
Docusearch.com
This site claims to be "the place to find, locate & track down anybody! We offer locate searches, DMV driver & vehicle searches, telephone record searches, financial and bank searches, criminal and property records. Some searches are free, others you must pay for.
ActivistCash.com
A great site. Roots out the funding sources of the most notorious anti-consumer groups. It continually adds profiles on the first of every month.
Medicare Nursing Home Finder
Can be helpful in investigating nursing homes in your area as it includes information on recent inspections, number of beds, etc.
GAO's Congressional Investigations
Track investigations through the General Accounting Office.
Lobbyist Database
Opensecrets.org, part of the Center for Reponsive Politics, has a database of registered lobbyists. Also tracks spending in particular sectors of lobbyists.
Special Interest Groups List
Opensecrets.org, part of the Center for Reponsive Politics, has downloadable lists of special-interest groups.
Government Audits
State inspector general's offices that audit federal programs that the agency oversees.
TRAY.com
A good site for FEC and PAC data.
Securities & Exchange Commission
SNAP: Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
Publicrecordssearch.com
Search database for public records by state and county. Also locate public records offices.
ZoomInfo
Find backgrounds of millions of people.
Construction Weblinks: Public Records
Dig up records on companies.
SNAP: Investigating Abuse by Priests
Tips for the media.
Investigative Resources on the Web (WebGater)
Links to motor vehicle departments, missing persons bureaus, vital records, medical examiner records.
International Consortium of Investigative Journalists
FOIA Illinois
Blog and resources for filing FOIAs. Twitter handle is @foiaillinois.
FOI Advocate
The University of Missouri's newsletter on using the Freedom of Information Act.
Cemetery Records Online
Maintains records from 4,307 cemeteries both nationwide and abroad. The site regularly updates users on which cemeteries have been added to their database.
Sunlight Foundation: Public Markup
Opens legislative bills to online public review.
Sunlight Foundation: Earmark Watch
Resources for citizens to track congressional spending. You have to register for the site, but it helps you investigate earmarks - spending measures inserted by members of Congress into bills that direct taxpayer dollars to their pet projects. The site has more than 3,000 of them.
GlassDoor.com
Ratings, reviews and salaries for more than 11,000 employers. It's information posted by anonymous employees, so be careful with the information you use. Fact-check everything. It can be helpful as a quick snapshot of a company you're backgrounding.
Industry Research Desk
Tools for researching specific companies, industries and manufacturing processes.
Center for Public Integrity: The Data Mine
An online series that will highlight inaccessible or poorly presented information from the federal government.
Sunlight Foundation: Open Congress
Sunlight and the Participatory Politics Foundation run this site, which tracks bills, votes, senators and representatives. It includes an RSS feed that registers your zip code to track all the actions by your elected officials and what people are saying about them.
Library of Congress: Ask a Librarian
Submit questions to a librarian. Includes a chat feature and links to various collections.
Vital Records Online
An extensive list of adoption resources.
Justice Department FOIA Guide
Good for anticipating the other side's arguments and interpretation of case history, especially when you are appealing a denial.
Litigation Under the Federal Open Government Laws 2002
A guide for working through the FOIA/open government process. It is published by the Electronic Privacy Information Center.
iDig Answers
Great for generating FOI-related story ideas.
Sunshine in Government Initiative
IRE's Campaign Finance Information Center
This site features a database of campaign finance story ideas and tips from reporters across the country.
Tips for Uncovering Sealed Cases
SecretNoMore: Publicly Accessible FBI Files
The Scoop: Derek Willis: Database of Computer-Assisted Reporting Stories
World's 300 Largest Pension Funds
Wall Street Journal: Markets Data Center
A great quick-reference tool. Access to this does not require a subscription to the WSJ.
ProPublica.org
An independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest. Submit questions to a librarian. Includes a chat feature and links to various collections.
Sunlight Foundation
Political watchdog group that tracks lobbyists and fundraising.
Sunlight Foundation: PoliticalPartyTime.org
This political watchdog group's blog tracks parties thrown at the 2008 Democratic and Republican National Conventions as well as fundraising activities by all lawmakers running.
How to Use the Federal FOI Act
From the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.
APME: The People's Right to Know
A good FOIA guide.
Society of Professional Journalists: Freedom of Information Resources
University of Missouri Freedom of Information Center
Reporter's Committee for Freedom of the Press: FOIA Letter Generator
Just fill in the blanks.
The Brechner Center for Freedom of Information
Coalition of Journalists for Open Government
National Security Archive: Freedom of Information Act Resources
From George Washington University.
American Library Association: Key Principles on Government Information
U.S. Department of Justice Freedom of Information Act Information
Society of Environmental Journalists FOI Resources
Federal Citizens' Information Center: Privacy Resources
University of Texas: Woodward and Bernstein Watergate Papers
The Scoop Blog
CAR and investigative reporting.
MAPLight.org: Money and Politics
Database makes connections between legislative votes and campaign donations.
Spot.Us
Warning: There may ethical concerns with content produced on this site! This community funded journalism site is a nonprofit project of the Center for Media Change. The public can commission journalists to do investigations on important and perhaps overlooked stories. All donations are tax deductible and if a news organization buys exclusive rights to the content, your donation will be reimbursed.
Institute for Analytic Journalism
Blog, podcast, tools, data analysis tools, graphics and more. Resources are managed by a team of working journalists and academics throughout the country.
MattWaite.com
Blog, tips and resources from web developer and CAR expert from the St. Petersburg Times.
Center on Executive Compensation
The center is dedicated to developing and promoting principled pay and governance practices and advocating compensation policies that serve the best interests of shareholders and other corporate stakeholders. This site might be helpful in sourcing and finding statistics for stories about overpaid CEOs.
OMBWatch
"Promoting open government, accountability and citizen participation since 1983." Government records and watchdog site.
Digital Vaults
A curated view of 1,200 of the most impressive holdings in the National Archives.
FIRE: Guide to Free Speech on Campus
Book/ebook from the Foundation of Individual Rights on Campus.
FOIA Online
Federal government site that has resources on filing FOIAs.
Consumer Product Safety Commission
Consumer Federation of America
National Council on Consumer Interests
Consumer Search Product Reviews
