Higher education funding in the US: A broad overview
We explain higher education funding to help journalists cover the impacts of changes President Trump has made and plans to make to the U.S. Department of Education.
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287(g): The program that lets state and local police perform the functions of federal immigration officers
“In the span of about two months, the Trump administration radically expanded the 287(g) program beyond anything I have seen in the past 15 years of close study of this precise policy,” writes immigration scholar Austin Kocher.
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Medicaid: A guide to understanding and covering potential cuts to the program
To help finance trillions of dollars in tax cuts, Congressional Republicans are looking to cut hundreds of billions of dollars in spending, which could impact Medicaid. We provide background, resources and research on the policies under consideration.
Expert Commentary
Story ideas from the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book: April 2025
Our semi-regular rundown of the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book is full of story ideas for reporters across beats. The April edition spotlights key economic trends by region, including a New Jersey salon struggling to find qualified hires, and declining tourism from Canada and Mexico across the U.S.
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ICE’s recent detention data: What journalists need to understand
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s detained population flatlined in April, but there’s more to the numbers than meets the eye. It’s time to level up our understanding of detention data.
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Hispanic-serving institutions: A primer with story ideas and guiding questions for journalists
A research-based explainer to help journalists cover Hispanic-serving institutions — the most common type of minority-serving institution — as U.S. colleges and universities face heightened scrutiny under President Trump.
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Unlocked: How the federal government historically has hired and fired workers
We break down the types of employees who work for the U.S. government along with laws and regulations that define how federal workers have, until recently, typically been hired and fired.
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How they did it: Wall Street Journal reporters identify $50 billion in Medicare payments made to insurers for diagnoses doctors never treated
Reporters reveal how they accessed a huge tranche of Medicare data and offer tips on notetaking for data analysis, using AI for coding and exercising persistence when seeking sources.
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How they did it: San Francisco Chronicle reporters uncover national spate of deadly police chases
San Francisco Chronicle investigative reporters Jennifer Gollan and Susie Neilson share tips for building a national database from scratch, interviewing trauma survivors, negotiating with public records officials and more.
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How she did it: Marshall Project reporter reveals hospitals drug tested pregnant patients then reported false positives to authorities
Reporter Shoshana Walter shares tips on using confidential child welfare records and interviewing traumatized parents.
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