Resources

Tip Sheet This tip sheet is connected to workshop 1 of our fall candidate backgrounding series. It is best used in conjunction with the...

With knowledge of the questions we want to answer, we can turn our attention to a set of principles for effective research.

Join investigative journalist Andrea Ball for a hands-on workshop exploring the art and craft of narrative investigations — a storytelling approach that uses real people as the engine of deep, fact-based journalism.

Use this sheet to identify financial disclosures at the state level.

This tip sheet from Exposing the Silence: Reporting on Deaths in Custody is best used alongside the workshop recording. Using both, you'll find valuable information on reporting on deaths in custody and will be well equipped with the tools and knowledge to expose systemic failures that can have tragic consequences.

Join The Marshall Project, Arizona Luminaria, Ocala Gazette, and Sunlight Research Center for a hands-on workshop on investigating deaths in custody — a largely underreported and deeply consequential issue.

This tip sheet from Digital Lifeline: Saving At-Risk Data is best used alongside the workshop recording. You'll find valuable information on identifying, preserving and reporting on government data. Using the tip sheet and recording, you will be well equipped with the tools and knowledge to safeguard critical information.

Join Sunlight Research Center, Data Rescue Project (DRP), MuckRock, and the Data Curation Network (DCN) for a workshop on identifying, preserving and reporting on government data. In an era where federal data is at risk of disappearing or being altered, this training will equip you with the tools and knowledge to safeguard critical information.

Join Sunlight Research Center and Trusting News Network for a hands-on workshop on building stronger relationships between newsrooms and communities. In an era of mistrust, this session will equip journalists with actionable strategies to demonstrate credibility and actively earn audience trust.

This tip sheet from Following the Money:Investigating Nonprofits and Getting to Know 990s provides valuable information on documents available for tax-exempt organizations, tools for finding information on nonprofits, and Nonprofit Explorer tips.

Join Sunlight Research Center and Andrea Suozzo, lead maintainer of ProPublica’s Nonprofit Explorer, for a deep dive into nonprofits and the financial records they file. After this session, you’ll be able to confidently navigate IRS Form 990s, spot red flags and uncover important details about nonprofit finances and operations.

This video lays out the steps for using Google Maps to identify the date range of when a construction project broke ground. We show you how to use Google Earth Pro to find additional images that are unavailable on Google Maps.

This video provides detailed instructions for finding the personal financial disclosures of a congressman and ascertaining notable changes in income that can raise important questions.

In this video, we provide step-by-step instructions to navigate the FEC website to find official campaign committee disbursements. Follow along as we explore spending details that are crucial for analysis.