20 Databases All Newsrooms Should Have or Use

by Karen Kleiss

David Donald of the Center for Public Integrity and Ron Nixon of the New York Times say these are the 20 databases all newsrooms should have or use. It's a very American list; in most cases I don't know whether there are Canadian equivalents or if we can get them. That said, I think it's a great list to peruse if you're looking to get ideas.

1. Census data (federal and state-level).
2. State finance departments. Shows budgets for each year.
3. Single audit databases. In the U.S., any non-profit that gets more than $300,000 from the federal government must be audited. This database tracks the agencies, how much they get, and the audit results.
4. Check Register for Vendors. Shows who the government holds contracts with. Donald says this database is frequently compared with election contribution data to identify "pay to play" trends and other forms of pork-barelling.
5. Property Assessments. Reporters typically check for liens and high-profile delinquencies, and they look at assessments for politicians' homes, often finding lower-than-average assessments. American newspapers also use these to find the names and contact information for people who live in homes where crimes happen.
   
6. Non-elected committee members. This database is often compared with lobby registries to see who is lobbying and sitting on a committee at the same time.
   
7. Government Employee Salaries. Updated annually, this data is always a big hit with taxpayers. I put in a request for this information after I read Gary Lamphier's column last month.
   
8. Election campaign finance reports.
9. Campaign contribution reports for individuals.
10. Financial disclosure reports for judges. I think they have these in Canada, too.
11. Voter registration databases.
12. Election results.
13. Crime statistics.
14. Sexual predators. We can't get this in Canada.
15. Business demographics. Typically collected at the state and municipal level, similar to census statistics.
16. SEC10K Data. In the U.S., this database tracks reports from public companies. This information is available online, as well, in a database the government calls EDGAR.
    
17. 990s. In the U.S., these are the non-profit tax filings. These are searchable online in Canada on the CRA's website.
18. EPA Enforcement Data. Water safety information is available in the U.S. at the EPA's website.
19. Foreign Agencies Registration Database. Maintained by the U.S. Department of Justice, the FARA database tracks people from foreign countries working the the U.S.
20. Lobbying database. The U.S., the federal data is here.

Investigative Reporters and Editors Annual Conference, June 2010
Session: Data for investigations locally and around the world
Presenters: Ron Nixon, New York Times and David Donald, Centre for Public Integrity