The Muckraker Blog

In addition to CIR's California-based editorial staff, we work with a nationwide cadre of freelance reporters and producers and those on leave from other media outlets. Many of CIR's investigations are generated by our own staff; others are brought to us by freelancers.

Journalism demands a certain flexibility to follow a story where it leads, but as a small news organization with limited resources, CIR attempts to ferret out the most promising investigations. Generally, stories deserving investment should: reflect CIR's core mission by offering the strong potential to reveal injustice or abuse of power; fall under one of our reporting beats, currently social justice, environment and international reporting; add new information, a fresh angle or depth of reporting not found in other mainstream coverage; have an indication of interest from a prospective news outlet; and originate from reporters or producers with demonstrated skills and experience.

Most new projects require fundraising before they can begin. However, at times we are able to make small investments in promising stories at their early stages (making direct payment to the reporter for time and expenses). If that initial reporting proves fruitful, we may help market it to news outlets and provide editing, fact-checking and legal review.

The Dick Goldensohn Fund for International Investigative Reporting
Currently, we are providing small grants to assist in international reporting projects through The Dick Goldensohn Fund.

To apply, please send a letter explaining the story you’d like to pursue, its significance and your ideas as to potential outlets for the story. Tell us about your journalistic experience, and provide a simple overview of your anticipated timeline and budget—-and, specifically, how DGF/CIR funds would be applied. Typical grants are a few thousand dollars, and are generally used to help defray travel and research costs. Journalists are eligible from any country, but facility in English is a requirement. Send application letter and/or questions to: Mark Schapiro/CIR Editorial Director at mschapiro@cironline.org.

Reporting Guides

Over the years, CIR has produced a number of how-tos of investigative reporting for experienced journalists as well as aspiring muckrakers. The resources below will get you started, guiding you through some of the tools of the trade.

> Raising Hell: A Citizens Guide to the Fine Art of Investigation [PDF]
Knowing the facts is essential to educating and organizing citizens so they can participate in the decision making that affects their lives. Citizens have a right to know the facts but this right is useless unless they also have the know-how to obtain them. This guide is an introduction to how and where you can use libraries and public records for facts about individuals, government, corporations and ownership of property. You will want to check many other records, books, publications and people not mentioned here. They are all ballast to balance the secrecy of power with the public's right to know the truth.

> Gun Reporting Methodology [PDF]
This gun reporting methodology stems from CIR's investigation "Hot Guns," a 1997 Emmy award-winning public television documentary on stolen handguns, into one of the largest gun-theft cases in United States' history. There is little journalism in the area of stolen and crime guns, particularly at the local level, and law enforcement is sometimes ignorant about how the black market in handguns functions. This methodology is an attempt to increase public understanding of the black market in handguns and how to investigate and report on this world.

> How to look up your judge
When checking on potential financial conflicts, a good place to start is the judge’s investment list. Every federal judge and magistrate judge must submit a report of their financial interests every year to the Administrative Office of the United States Courts in Washington D.C. Filings from the last six years are kept on file there. Apart from annual reports, judges file a nearly identical financial disclosure form when nominated for a judgeship. CIR's Will Evans put together this step-by-step guide for researching the financial disclosures of federal judges.