Thursday, July 5, 2012

U.S. Prison System: ProPublica Compiles the Best Investigative Journalism

The U.S. has the world's most people in prisons per capita. How did it happen? A mix of private-prison lobbying, harsh sentencing, limited rehabilitation options, nightmarish isolation conditions that make many unable to cope once they're out, a powerful bail bonding industry -- the list goes on.

In "Land of the Free," investigative outfit ProPublica provides a great list of leading-edge investigative journalism about the U.S. prison system.

The stories cover everything from the sky-high U.S. incarceration rate to New York prison guards encouraging prisoner violence, sexual abuse in prisons and the fast-growing use of isolation units in so-called super-max prisons.

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Resources: Primer on Investigative Journalism

Interesting investigative journalism primer here from UNESCO. The 88-page e-book covers the basics -- from organizing your information to dealing with sources and presenting your results.